Evolving Approaches to Managing Marine Recreational Fisheries

Here at last is a collection of workable solutions to the vexing problem of allocating the rights to recreational fishing: the remaining untamed threat to fish stocks. While the grand masters of rights allocation—Arnason, Pearse, and Leal—are here, the excitement arises from the large number of new analysts who have been attracted to this policy conundrum. This is a must read for the genuinely engaged regulator. -- Michael Walker, Fraser Institute, Canada With a blend of common sense and innovative ideas, this book should serve as food for thought for managers of our coastal fisheries and the angling community. Looking to the future, traditional fishery management only means more of the same—closed seasons, restrictive size limits, rapidly shrinking bag limits, and dissatisfaction among recreational anglers. The market-based reforms discussed in Evolving Approaches offer some enlightened alternatives that have the potential to yield both healthy fisheries and happy anglers. -- Brian Yablonski, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission This collection of chapters demonstrates that lessons learned from rights-based systems in commercial fisheries can be beneficially applied to the management of recreational fisheries. This book offers an excellent mix of theoretical and applied works that will be valuable reading on the frontiers of recreational fisheries management for both the participant and professional. -- Lee G. Anderson, University of Delaware Leal and Maharaj have brought together an impressive assembly of economists that have dealt with property rights in commercial fisheries and asked them to apply their expertise to recreational fisheries and their interaction with commercial fisheries. The result is a highly readable and thought-provoking book that no one who takes an interest in this issue should miss. -- Røgnvaldur Hannesson, Norweigan School of Economics and Business Administration