Capture of the United States Regional Fishery Management Councils: An Analysis of Special Interest Influence on the Determination of Catch Limits Open Access

Abstract

In the United States, governance of fishery resources is delegated to eight regional councils that are charged with managing overfished fish populations. These councils are composed of different interest groups–commercial fishers, recreational fishers, and scientific and government representatives–who are responsible for developing fisheries policy (Cufone 2004). However, since the establishment of the councils in 1976, commercial and recreational interests have seemingly come to dominate the councils, a trend often cited when explaining the general failure of the councils to successfully manage their fish stocks (Cochran 2000; Okey 2003; Thomas et al. 2010). One area where the influence of commercial and recreational interests is likely to exert the most influence is the development of catch limits, which determine the total amount of a particular fish species that can be withdrawn every year (Eagle et al. 2003). From 1976 until 2010, councils retained the right to set catch limits; however, after 2010, the ability to determine catch limits was effectively delegated to the Scientific and Statistical Committees, scientific advisory bodies to the councils (Crosson 2012). This paper will attempt to understand–through the lens of catch limits–what effect overrepresentation of commercial and recreational interests has had on fisheries regulation and policy development. Expressly, this research will test the following hypotheses: (1) The regional councils were captured by special interests prior to 2010 and (2) After 2010, as a result of the SSCs gaining the ability to set catch limits, special interests will not significantly influence council policy. In contrast to the aforementioned hypotheses, this study found that the regional fishery councils were not, in fact, captured by special interests prior to 2010, special interests exerting no significant influence on the determination of catch limits. Further, it was shown that special interests, specifically recreational users, had a meaningful impact on the catch limits after 2010. Though these findings do not support the initial hypotheses, they nevertheless constitute valuable contributions to existing scholarship on fisheries management, providing both a credible assessment of capture and assessing the relevance of scientific advisory bodies–such as the SSCs–for effective fisheries management.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

 

Introduction & Background……………………………………………………………………………………………..1

 

Research Questions & Relevance……………………………………………………………………………………………….6

 

Literature Review..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9

 

Theory…………………………………………………………………………………………………16

 

Hypotheses…………………………………………………………………………………………….25

 

Analyses & Variables………………………………………………………………………………………………25

 

Data Collection & Construction…………………………………………………………………………………………..31

 

Testing………………………………………………………………………………………………...37

 

Results………………………………………………………………………………………………...44

 

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………………….67

 

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………76

 

Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………………..80

 

References……………………………………………………………………………………………85

 

 

 

Table of Figures

 

Figure 1………………………………………………………………………………………………45

 

Figure 2………………………………………………………………………………………………46

 

Figure 3………………………………………………………………………………………………47

 

Figure 4………………………………………………………………………………………………48

 

Figure 5………………………………………………………………………………………………50

 

Figure 6………………………………………………………………………………………………50

 

Figure 7………………………………………………………………………………………………53

 

 

 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Political Science
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Environmental Management Political Science, General
Keyword	Capture Common pool resources Regional fishery management councils Regional fishery management Regulatory agencies
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Bolton, Alexander, Emory University
Committee Members	Yandle, Tracy, Emory University Peskowitz, Zachary, Emory University

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