Overfishing is a huge problem, one that requires sound policy to regulate. Over the course of the twentieth century, several important fisheries collapsed, leading to the United States developing policies to regulate it. These policies have earned the U.S. a good reputation when it comes to fisheries management, with a successful record of preventing overfishing and rehabilitating fish stocks in recent decades. But as we explore in our new FoodPrint of Wild Seafood report, not all management strategies have been a success for fisherpeople and their communities. The development of catch share programs, which privatize access to fisheries and limit who is allowed to use the ocean's resources, are of particular concern.
In order to understand how catch shares have changed fisheries and fishing communities across the U.S., we spoke to journalist Lee van der Voo, who covered the topic extensively in her book "The Fish Market."
