
Trip limits have been proposed in the South Atlantic and across the United States as a commercial fishery management tool that places trip-based limits on fishing in order to lengthen fishing seasons, avoid complete fishing closures, reduce fishing pressure, and alleviate the hazardous effects of derby fishing.
For the four commercial fisheries described below, trip limits mostly did not accomplish these management goals. In fact, other problems often arose such as increased discard rates and reduced fishermen revenue.
Gulf of Mexico grouper-tilefish fishery:
The Gulf of Mexico Council implemented trip limits for groupers in 2004 to reduce derby fishing, improve quota tracking, lengthen fishing seasons by spreading out landings over the year, and lower the likelihood of overfishing. However, trip limits encouraged fishermen to fish as fast as possible, like in a derby race, in order to catch as much as possible under the limit before it closed. This oftentimes caused the season to close even earlier:
New England multi-species fishery:
The New England Council implemented trip limits in the multi-species fishery in 1994 to rebuild stocks. This regulation had limited success combined with the Days at Sea regulations (a limit on the number of days a fisherman could go out and fish):
Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery:
The Gulf of Mexico Council implemented trip limits for red snapper in 1992to prevent derby conditions, lengthen seasons, and provide higher ex-vessel prices. By the early 2000s the gulf red snapper fishery had monthly, ten day micro-seasons, and early closures to prevent overfishing of the resource. Such short, concentrated harvests caused market gluts and lower dockside prices, along with higher costs, and dangerous fishing conditions.
West coast groundfish fishery:
The Pacific Council implemented trip limits in the West coast groundfish fishery in 1989 to control landings, avoid early closures, and to minimize the targeting of specific species while allowing for take of some incidental catch. In reality, in order to maximize catch under trip limits, fishermen harvested greater than the trip limit amount and discarded the rest of the catch.
Trip limits have an inconsistent track record of extending seasons, managing discards, reducing fishing pressure, nor keeping fishermen safe, and otherwise protecting fisheries.
[i]Branch, Trevor A., Rutherford, K, Hilborn R. 2006. "Replacing trip limits with individual transferable quotas: implications for discarding." Marine Policy, 30: 281-292