Time for a new fish tale?

A decades old fish story may be about to change. Yesterday, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced they would once again tighten the web of restrictions around fishermen.

As usual, fishermen complained it was too harsh. As usual, environmentalists complained it was too lenient. As usual, government officials said they had to do it to protect the fish. Here is a solidly done story in the New Bedford Standard Times that explains the new rules.

But things may be changing in the age-old, mixed up world of New England fishing.

There’s an old idea that’s getting new scientific, public and even fishing interest. Called “catch shares”, the idea behind it is if you give fishermen a fixed share in a fishery, they have a direct financial interest in making sure the fish do well.

Scientists studying the issue last year found that worldwide fisheries were half as likely to have collapsed when fishermen were giving some form of catch shares (there are lots of ways to divide the pie) than those that didn’t have catch shares.

Often called individual fishing quotas (ITQs for the acronym bunch), it had a bad name for a bunch of years as criticism arose about privatizing fisheries and over who has the permanent right to get a piece of the very public ocean. But as years go by and fishing stocks continue to suffer, the idea has gained momentum not only with powerful environmental groups such as the Pew Environmental Group but even some local fishing groups.

According to Pew, two groups of New England fishermen have received a form of catch shares and 17 more are petitioning for it.

Its bound to be controversial. It definitely is complex. But I don't think the idea is going away.