The fishing industry and fisheries management: What is the purpose of the law on fisheries management?

Abstract

Although it is stated in the several fisheries management bills which have recently been discussed in parliament, that they are concerned with the management of fisheries they do, however, as does the current fisheries management legislation, only partially address the market failures associated with fisheries while revolving around a number of unrelated issues. This article discusses the market failures associated with open access fisheries and looks at how they are addressed by the current legislation as well as in the most recently proposed general revision put forth by the government. Parts of the legislation concern the distribution of income and the distribution of the population. It is contemplated whether these goals are perhaps more appropriatley achieved by other means than constraints on fisheries.