The hidden role of processors in an individual transferable quota fishery

Abstract

The economically and culturally important Pacific halibut fishery in British Columbia, Canada, managed as an individual transferable quota fishery since 1993, has frequently been held up as an example of management best practices. This narrative of success has continued despite repeated warnings that there are serious problems with the fishery, including processors exerting ever greater control over the fishery, contrary to stated fisheries objectives. Administrative data from federal and provincial data sets were used to consider ownership and control in the halibut fishery, with a focus on processor quota ownership, leasing, and brokerage of leases. The analysis indicated that direct processor ownership of halibut quota, while more than doubling between 1996 and 2016, remains relatively low at less than 10% of the available quota. Processor control through the leasing of halibut, however, is much higher, accounting for more than half of all halibut quota transfers in 2016. Through strategies such as "holding licences," processors increasingly act as hubs for leasing activity, which has shifted the balance of power in the fishery. This analysis (a) reveals that there is much more processor control than is obvious from a cursory review of ownership, (b) highlights approaches for assessing the level of processor control, and (c) recommends alternative government procedures for improving transparency and evaluating full spectrum outcomes of fisheries management such as equitable distribution of benefits.

Neo-liberal or not? Creeping enclosures and openings in the making of fisheries governance

“…This aligns with other public good rationalities, such as the Government of Canada's mandate to protect the interests of Canadians in managing fisheries as a common pool resource (Fisheries Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-14), and the expectation that fisheries are to be managed according to a broad suite of social and economic objectives, including distribution of access and benefits to coastal regions and communities (Stephenson et al 2018(Stephenson et al , 2019; also see Edwards and Pinkerton 2019). Given that these legislative modifications are relatively recent, "in terms of enforcing it, the jury is still out," as one participant stated, revealing the need for ongoing analysis of the lived experiences and struggles over creeping enclosures and openings in NL fisheries.…”

A comparative study of small-scale fishery supply chains’ vulnerability and resilience to COVID-19

“…The viability of independent small-scale fisheries in B.C. has been threatened in recent decades due to inequitable licensing policies and increased control exerted by large corporations and seafood processors (Haas et al 2016 ; Edwards and Pinkerton 2019 ; Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans 2019 ). Alternative seafood marketing initiatives, such as community supported fisheries (CSF), are a way to resist neoliberal fisheries structures by promoting non-market values within simplified value chains (Witter and Stoll 2017 ).…”

Full-spectrum sustainability: an alternative to fisheries management panaceas

“…The authors argue that such information and knowledge-including patterns of government decision making utilizing principles of equity in resource access, regional and community development benefits of resource use, and controversies over policy implementation and interpretation-can be of significant interest to decision makers, particularly in contexts where they have an interest in, or duty to consider, social impacts of policies. Edwards and Pinkerton (2019) demonstrate the importance of considering multiple dimensions of ownership and control within a full-spectrum evaluation of fisheries management, in order to understand the full extent of these on the distribution of benefits. The hidden role of processor-controlled "holding licences" in the British Columbia halibut fishery is shown to be a major driver in the distribution of benefits, enabling processor control of where fishermen deliver their catch, and control of information fishermen receive about catch value.…”

“…The inclusion of governance and social considerations into research projects was spurred both by research into existing Canadian policy statements and by the active participation of social scientists, government scientists, and fishing industry representatives in research design workshops, a coconstruction approach in which the independent owneroperator sector of eastern Canada's small-scale fishery fleet played a central role. A key contribution of this special feature is thus highlighting the importance of governance/institutional processes (Parlee and Wiber 2018, Angel et al 2019, Jones and Stephenson 2019 and the distribution of resource access and benefits ( Barnett 2018, Edwards and Pinkerton 2019, Mussels and Stephenson 2020. Overall, the research experience reveals several overarching critical and ongoing challenges:…”