Crew in the West Coast Groundfish Catch Share Program: Changes in Compensation and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Catch share programs can have far-reaching effects on coastal communities and the people that rely on fishing income, including crew members. Analysis of management actions affecting crew wages and well-being is often limited due to a dearth of available data. We examine crew-related outcomes during the first six years of the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program using two unique datasetsa mandatory economic survey and a voluntary social science study. We find that impacts on crew compensation differ from other catch share programs due to prior conditions of the fishery and also vary by the target species within the program. The median number of crew positions per vessel increased slightly, annual crew days decreased, and crew wage as a percentage of revenue was nearly unchanged, even with the introduction of new costs. Median daily crew compensation

Outcomes of the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program: The First Five Years

“…Finally, the sixth paper in this special issue, "Crew in the West Coast groundfish catch share program: changes in compensation and job satisfaction" explores the impacts of the catch share program on fishing vessel crew-an integral yet often overlooked component of any fishery (Steiner et al 2018). This interdisciplinary paper draws from cost-earnings and social survey data to explore measures of crew wages and well-being through the transition to catch shares.…”