Economic Ripple Effects: Assessing ITQ Policy and Effort Shifts in BC’s Commercial Salmon Troll Fishery
Date
2025
Authors
Richmond, Noam
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University Of Victoria
Abstract
Fisheries around the world struggle to balance economic viability with sustainability, and Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) have been promoted as a solution. By granting fishers secure rights to a portion of the catch, ITQs are expected to slow the "race for fish," extend fishing seasons, and reduce wasteful discarding. However, their real-world effects are often more complex. This study examines how ITQs have reshaped BC’s commercial salmon Troll fishery, using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) and Fixed Effects Counterfactual Estimator (FECT) to measure their impact on fishing effort, species targeting, and unintended consequences. While ITQs are often seen as a tool for sustainability, this research challenges the assumption that they always achieve that goal. If poorly designed or implemented, quota systems may not just fail to fix existing problems—they may create new ones.
Description
Keywords
fisheries management, quotas, salmon, commercial fishing, effort