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regional planning teams have been formed to harness the collective interests of local 

 fishermen. In these groups, fishermen have been granted some rights to determine 

 (1) how many fish they may produce and of what species, and (2) how much to assess 

 themselves for aquaculture activities. In many cases, regional aquacvilture 

 associations are involved in the management of the stocks and frequently take actions 

 to conserve stocks. It seems unlikely that a highly centralized approach to 

 management would initiate a system like this. It appears to us that decentralization 

 leads to determining production levels and inputs that react to economic conditions 

 more quickly and more efficiently. 



3. DcrouDlin^ Biological Management and Resource Allocation 



The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is the designated management authority for 

 sustained-yield biological management. The Alaska Board of Fisheries has been given 

 the authority and responsibility to allocate the available harvestable surplus between 

 users. This arrangement effectively separates the local management biologist from 

 pressures from different user groups, be they different commercial gear types or 

 sport/commercial/subsistence interests. 



4. Using Local Fishing Knowledge to Aid in Management 



In Alaska, local area fishery managers are given a great deal of management 

 authority. In communities that arc close to the fishing grounds and have large 

 numbers of participants in the fishing fieets, managers frequently find that local 

 knowledge is an important aid in making preseason and inseason decisions. 

 Decentralized management promotes use of this local knowledge. Additionally, laws 

 of Alaska establish a "test fish fund" which allow fish captured during research 

 activities and stock assessment activities to be sold in the name of the state and used 

 to fund these projects, Without local fishermen support, it would not be politically 

 possible for the state to operate in tliis manner since each fish caught comes directly 

 from the potential catch of affected fishermen. 



5. Benefits Associated with Public Involvement 



More centrally controlled fisheries might impose additional legal costs on management 

 if the public is not adequately involved. In Alaska, the Board of Fisheries develops 

 regulations that describe how fisheries will be conducted. The membership consists 

 of a seven-member panel, with representation from interest groups and industry. 

 Members from any and all interest groups may present regulatory proposals and 

 testimony to the board. While the system is occasionally cumbersome, the open 

 system is generally considered as participatory and "fair." and is believed to reduce 

 the probability of litigation from private parties over other centrally controlled 

 management options, 



6. Importance of Keeping Management Close to the Fishen 



Overly centralized management of fisheries might not only lead to all biological but 

 all economic analysis occurring far from the fisheries. Economists frequently must 



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