Tracking the Socio-Economic Impacts of Changes in Groundfish Management in New England

Objectives:1) To collect baseline socio-cultural data on participants in the groundfisheries of New England 2) To facilitate the communication between industry participants and fishery managers3) To track the impacts of changes in the management of the groundfisheries 4) To provide information about the changes to the industry, managers, environmental organizations and interested citizens.Methodology:Baseline data will be sought from published sources and checked by sampling. A random sample of fishermen will be interviewed by telephone, a smaller sample will be asked to join a focus group meeting. Two series of group meetings will be planned, one prior to implementation, the other 16 months later. In depth interviews will supplement group meetings. Changes in income, employment, and residence will be noted. Impacts of individual changes on the communities will be analyzed and user conflicts, recreational impacts, health and safety impacts, and community growth or decline will be considered. Information about the effectiveness of the plan’s implementation will also be gathered.Rationale:The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires managers to take social and economic impacts into account when management systems are planned. In truth, rarely is there sufficient information available to predict impacts. This work will allow fishing industry members and managers to measure the impacts of the choices made and so offer an empirical basis for future management choices and fishing effort.