Seafood Industry: Thousands of Jobs, On the Docks and Beyond

For over 150 years the seafood industry has been an economic cornerstone of coastal communities in Washington, Oregon and California.

We are the Industry

Fishing vessels, while an important component and symbol of the seafood industry, are just the beginning. When a fish is landed at the dock, it's just one step from the sea, but still many steps from your plate. The fish processing sector alone supports more than 11,000 jobs on the West Coast with thousands more jobs that depend on a healthy seafood industry, from fishing vessels, cold-storage and packaging, to distribution, transportation, marine services and restaurants.

Government Considering New Management Rules

The Pacific Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service are currently considering long-overdue changes to the rules that govern West Coast groundfish fisheries. These changes will have a direct impact on dozens of coastal communities and thousands of families and jobs.

Problem: Outdated Rules Threaten Coastal Economies and Jobs

Groundfish are the only fish caught and processed year-round, providing steady jobs in coastal communities. Over 80 different West Coast fish species are referred to as "groundfish."

They can be broken into four groups:

  • flatfish: like soles and sand-dabs
  • sablefish: also referred to as black cod
  • rockfish: also known as "Pacific snapper"
  • Pacific whiting: sometimes referred to as "hake"

Though the majority of West Coast groundfish species are healthy, 8 species out of the 80+ groundfish have been identified by regulators as deserving additional protection. Unfortunately, this small number drives the management of all the rest. With inadequate access to fishery resources, boats remain tied to the dock and processing plants sit idle, and too many people are out of work.

Solution: Equal Allocation of Resources to Protect Communities and Jobs

Federal fishery managers and industry representatives are working together on reforms that will both recover weak groundfish stocks and provide long term stability for the seafood industry.

The reform is called "rationalization," and it entails setting individual transferable quotas (ITQs) for the amount of groundfish an individual can harvest in a given year. Similar programs for fisheries around the world have generally yielded positive results. An ITQ system can both reduce incidental catch of non-targeted species, and provide a more reliable economic resource, but only if the system is designed with the health of the entire seafood industry and coastal communities in mind.

Reforms Must Treat Processors & Fishermen Equally

Some fishing vessel owners believe they deserve to be granted 100% of the quota under ITQ reforms. We disagree. A one-sided quota system such as this would put thousands of jobs at risk, leaving seafood processors and coastal communities with no safeguards or long-term stability.

What is needed is a balanced ITQ plan, one that will ensure protection of groundfish stocks, while also protecting jobs in fishing, seafood processing, and their many supporting industries.

"Any rationalization option…should adhere to NOAA Fisheries Administrator Bill Hogarth's call for balanced approaches to IQs that recognize all stakeholders in the seafood industry-fishermen, processors and the coastal communities that rely on this industry and the jobs it provides."

Jay Bornstein
Bellingham, Washington fish processor

NOAA Fisheries Supports "Equitable" Reform

"There is a requirement in the Administration's bill for new IFQ programs to utilize procedures to ensure fair and equitable initial allocations [of fishing quota], including the consideration of employment in the processing sector."

William Hogarth, Ph.D.
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA,
Letter to Pacific Fishery Management Council,
December 16, 2003