The lobster fishery is being considered for limited entry. The Rosenstiel 

 Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami in co- 

 operation with the Florida Department of Natural Resources, under a Ford Foun- 

 dation Grant, evaluated economic advantages and disadvantages of limited entry 

 for lobsters. The study did not recommend limited entry. 



Limited entry sometimes can best be justified when the abundance of the 

 resource is diminished by excessive fishing. Limited entry for economic rea- 

 sons (i.e., to increase the profits of the fishermen) is not generally highly 

 regarded. Number 5 of the Seven National Standards under PL 94-265 for the 

 Fishery Management Plans in the Fishery Conservation Zone is a serious obsta- 

 cle to economic allocation. Reluctance is expressed by those who believe that 

 the free enterprise system will solve the problem because if the catch is di- 

 vided among more and more fishermen and their profits decline, some will even- 

 tually leave the industry (intentionally or thorugh bankruptcy). The best 

 fishermen will survive and profit. If this happens before the population is 

 seriously depleted, a "limited entry" will have been achieved without govern- 

 ment control. This condition is only a temporary advantage because as soon as 

 the fishery becomes profitable again, more vessels will start fishing and the 

 cycle is repeated. For example, recent studies by economists Cato and Pro- 

 chaska of the University of Florida, have shown that for every 10 cent 

 increase in the price of a pound of shrimp, approximately 200 more boats enter 

 the fishery. 



Limited entry workshops were held in Denver, Colorado, in 1978 and Jack- 

 sonville, Florida, in June 1981. In general, those conferences concluded that 

 limited entry was but one tool for fisheries management and that although 

 there might be instances where its use would be appropriate and effective, it 

 is not a panacea and it would probably best serve as a last consideration. 



Another concern of the fishing industry is the competition between sport 

 fishermen 'particularly those who sell their catch) and commercial fishennen 

 (particularly those with larger and more sophisticated equipment) for the same 

 stock of fish. For some species, the sport catch often equals or exceeds that 

 of the commercial fishermen (e.g., king mackerel and speckled trout). The 

 competition is greatest in bays and estuaries where small boats are seaworthy. 

 Because of the political influence of sport fishing interests, commercial 

 fishing has been eliminated or severely restricted in some areas. Some com- 

 mercial fishermen fear that if this trend continues, the effect could be to 

 slowly legislate commercial fishennen out of the business in nearshore coastal 

 waters and estuaries. To avoid this, the commercial fishing lobby is 

 strengthening its position on these matters. 



The conflict between sport and commercial fishing is unfortunate because 

 they share common problems (lower catches) for the same reasons (loss of nat- 

 ural habitat and consequent reduction in abundance). A concerted effort by 

 Doth groups, directed at the real problems would be more effective. 



DATA GAPS 



Despite decades of scientific research on marine and estuarine-dependent 

 fishes, detailed information on the life history, abundance, and distribution 



215 



