The Spot Prawn Fishery: A Status Report - Earth Economics

for marine sustainability and fisheries conservation
that is influential and meaningful for managers,
fishers, and the general public. The public
and political momentum created will have the
capacity to reform fisheries management and the
management of shrimp fisheries (both wild and
cultured) in the United States and abroad.
The Status Report—What is it
What is it not
The Spot Prawn Fishery: A Status Report (Status
Report) is the result of a first-ever review of the
fishery. The impetus for the Report was APEX’s
view that until a foundational understanding of
the fishery was obtained, assessing the fishery’s
sustainability or the measures needed to shift the
fishery toward sustainability could not accurately
be determined.
The Status Report will serve as the Spot Prawn
Project’s foundational document and the source
of the Project’s goals, strategies, and recommendations
for spot prawn management. The Status
Report is not an exhaustive treatise on spot prawns
and their management. Rather, it offers a horizontal
slice of the greater spot prawn picture. Future
investigations will be vertical slices that arise naturally
as the work progresses and the Project develops.
Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of
the data and that all sources of information were
tapped. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that the
Status Report contains errors. It is likely that facts
have been omitted; that the players and the playing
field have changed; that dates and information
are out of date before the report is even published.
For these reasons, the Status Report makes no pretense
of being the definitive document on spot
prawns and their management. This is a starting
point—an attempt to sketch the state of knowledge
and the parameters of the debate so that all
interested parties have a common starting point
for discussion, agreement, and dissent. The Status
Report is a living document that will be revised
and reworked as the need presents itself and the
information becomes available.
e-mail, telephone, and in person. All efforts were
made to locate and use the best and most recent
data. Where available, we included data from the
2000–01 fishing season, with the bulk of numbers
coming from the 1999–00 season. All sources are
listed at the end of the document and inserted in
the text where it was determined to be particularly
important to cite the reference or resource.
I take personal responsibility for all factual errors
in this report. It should be noted that major contributors,
particularly at the State and Provincial
level, reviewed the document for errors and omissions.
In almost all cases, the document reflects
the suggested changes.
Report Outline
The Status Report begins with a general discussion
of the biology and ecology of spot prawns.
This is followed by: an analysis of the fishery’s
management systems, region by region (Alaska,
British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and
California); the biological status of spot prawns;
the history of the fishery; the nature of the fishery
today; landings, landed values, and markets; and
existing management and regulatory systems.
Future management issues and concerns are
detailed for each region.
The information in the Report was obtained
through standard research methods or provided by
interviewees and contacts. I took great measures
to prevent APEX’s opinions or recommendations
from creeping into the analysis and discussion. By
contrast, the “Recommendations” and “Where To
from Here” sections of the Report are the opinions
of APEX, grounded in our investigation and
examination of the fishery, discussions with a wide
range of experts, and our own expertise and experience
in the management of marine ecosystems.
Research and Report Methodology
The principal research and writing of this report
took place between February and September of
2001. Sources of information include the peerreviewed
literature, unpublished papers, government
documents, and numerous interviews via
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