Limited Entry: Experience of the British Columbia Salmon Fishery

In 1969 a program of limited entry was introduced in the B.C. salmon fishery; this indicates the near desperation of Fisheries managers at the apparent bankruptcy of more traditional management measures. Also, this introduction represents a significant break in traditional management orientation. The goals of management were broadened to encompass not only resource conservation, but also socioeconomic rationalization. Unfortunately, the program was ill-designed to achieve either objective. In spite of license limitation it appears that fishing costs and fishing capacity are still growing at a rapid rate. Although vessel numbers are declining, much of the potential benefits are being offset by increasing capacity and capital intensity in the individual vessels that now make up the limited fleet. While some benefits may remain from the program due to the rapid increase in the value of the salmon resource over recent years, the distribution of these benefits is somewhat anomalous. The public purse has gained little because license revenues represent a small proportion of the total management costs of the fishery. At the same time, it cannot be interpreted that fishermen will be the long run beneficiaries of the program. The only clear winners are the original group of license holders. Various adjustments in the structure of the licensing program have been considered to address these problems. While the most practical and effective of these is a system of landings royalties or taxes on output, it remains the least politically attractive. If the British Columbia licensing program is to become an effective vehicle for decreasing fishing costs and fishing capacity, some difficult decisions are required.