Evaluation of Fish Tags as an Attenuated Rights-Based Management Approach for Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries

Executive Summary Introduction Recreational fishing represents a popular and highly valued use of marine resources, with participation by a large percentage of the U.S. population. Nonetheless, many recreational fisheries, including a number of fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) recreational reef fish complex, show trends towards shorter seasons, smaller bag limits and more restrictive size limits. Such trends, particularly when associated with failures to maintain harvest at sustainable levels, can significantly reduce the economic benefits of fishing realized by anglers, and anglers' expenditures (and associated economic impacts) in coastal communities. Catch-and-release activity associated with such restrictions can also imply significant release mortality, further threatening sustainability and long-term benefits. Finally, the tendency to impose homogeneous management methods over large spatial scales, paired with often heterogeneous local and non-local angler populations, can lead to angler dissatisfaction and further loss of economic value. In response to such problems, and in recognition of the success of rights-based management approaches in commercial fisheries worldwide, there is an increasing interest in the potential application of modern rights-based approaches to recreational fisheries. However, while the principles of rights-based management offer the potential for significant improvements in the management of recreational fisheries such as the GOM reef fish fishery, there are practical complications with programs that assign long-term or durable fishing quotas to individual recreational anglers. While perhaps not insurmountable, these complications suggest that alternative rights-based management structures may be preferable and more cost-effective. One such alternative involves the use of harvest tags or stamps, such as those currently used to manage terrestrial game and waterfowl hunting in numerous areas of the US. While still a relatively uncommon means of recreational fishery management, fish tags may offer many of the benefits of rights-based management for recreational fisheries, while avoiding some of the more persistent concerns associated with other rights-based approaches. The of this report purpose is to explore issues related to the potential adaptation of rights-based harvest tags to the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery, with an emphasis on red snapper and shallow-water grouper. This includes analysis of the key management features and characteristics of harvest tag mechanisms, a review of status and trends in Gulf of Mexico recreational reef fish fisheries, and a review of existing harvest tag programs in both recreational hunting and fishing applications in the US and worldwide. Based on this information, the paper discusses both opportunities and challenges associated with the …