Allocating individual fishing possibilities through producer organisations: The case of the Bay of Biscay common sole fishery in France

Abstract

Management of the economically important Bay of Biscay common sole fishery has long relied on the setting of annual Total Allowable Catches (TACs). Allocation of these fishing possibilities at the French level is largely administered by six Producer Organisations (POs) for the fraction of the national quota they are responsible for, depending on the catch history of vessels belonging to their members. We surveyed representatives of these POs with the aim to understand the principles and processes that have evolved for determining allocation of sole quota among their members. Survey results show that the move away from derby fishing and towards the setting of individual catch allocations, initiated in the years 2000, has continued, along with the development of strategies at different levels to reconcile members’ demand for catch allocations with quota constraints. While one might have expected these individual allocations to reflect the track records of fishing vessels, we find that POs have developed alternative allocation rules to satisfy the needs of their members. POs thus play a key role in the definition of fishing possibilities in this and most of the TAC-managed fisheries in which French fleets operate. In so doing, POs bear the brunt of the transaction costs associated with quota allocation.