The Transition to Catch Shares Management in the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Fishery: changing Job Attitudes and Adjusting Fishing Participation Plans

Abstract

Management of fisheries worldwide is increasingly shifting toward catch shares. The West Coast groundfish trawl fishery transitioned to catch shares management in 2011. We use a multi-year dataset from the Pacific Coast Groundfish Social Survey to explore how fishermen’s job attitudes have changed in relation to catch shares management, and the influence this may have on fishing participation decisions. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found that job satisfaction has not significantly changed, whereas job stability and pay satisfaction have improved. We found that job stability, among other demographic items, is related to fishermen’s participation plans in the groundfish fishery. The five-year period following catch shares implementation can be characterized by elevated levels of fishing participation change as fishermen cope with the uncertainty of a new program, and adjust to changes within the fishery—results which may relate to experiences of fishermen in other fisheries transitioning to catch shares.