Interaction: researchers & policy-makers

UBC Fisheries Centre

U. Rashid Sumaila

Keynote at FAME, University of

Southern Denmark, June 7, 2007

Research-policy interaction

The researcher; Policy-maker; Other stakeholders:

► NGOs;► Fishermen’s associations;► Fish worker’s associations.

Media; The general public.

Some examples

ITQ project: DFO; BC sablefish farming study: Canadian

Sablefish Association (CSA); Economics of rebuilding U.S. overfished

stocks: NGO (NRDC); Subsidies study: researcher generated.

Objectives of the ITQ project

Have ITQ regimes resulted in ► rationalization in ITQ fisheries in Western Canada?► improved economic efficiency & value for fishery

participants?

To what degree have limits on transferability impacted economic viability (e.g., rationalization; economic value)

Lessons learned and recommendations for future implementations of ITQ regimes (e.g., allocation, transferability, need for licence buy-back, etc.).

Policy connection

Project is ongoing; It is commissioned by a policy-making

institution; Will the results of the study be adopted into

policy?

Sablefish study objectives

Main objective:► To find out whether the introduction of sablefish

farming is likely to add value to the B.C. economy. Specific questions:

► What is the likely effect on sablefish price?► What is the added value to be expected?► What are the potential effects of a ban on

sablefish farming in B.C.?

Result #1: Sablefish price (Based on Huppert and Best, 2004)

Price of sablefish will decrease with farming

Results # 2: Potential gains to B.C.

Results #3: Economic effect of a B.C. ban on farming

Policy connection

Project is completed; It was commissioned by the CSA; Did results impact policy? Why and how?

► Topical policy relevant issue;► Huge publicity in the media;► Mentioned during debate in the Canadian parliament;► Probably helped to slow the growth of sablefish farming

in BC.

Rebuilding study objectives

What are the potential gains from restoring US overfished stocks?

Historic and rebuilding catch trends for Georges Bank cod

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1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Year

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ch (

mt)

historic catch U.S. share (mt)

adopted rebuilding plan (mt)

Method

Two management scenarios analyzed for 17 overfished stocks:

► Scenario 1: “recent catch”;► Scenario 2: “rebuilding plan catch”.

The rebuilding time frames varied between 2 and 22 years depending on the stock.

Key results from study Catch quantity to increase by 2.5 times; Economic benefits to commercial and recreational

sectors to triple; Profits to increase from $159 to $567 million in

today’s dollars; More jobs to be generated; More downstream benefits (seafood processors,

suppliers of fishing inputs, etc); More fish protein to be available to Americans; To achieve these benefits there will be initial

adjustment costs to the fishing sector.

Our estimate is conservative … it includes only 17 out of the 76 declared

overfished U.S. stocks in 2003; It considers only the value of the fish at dock;

not the total value through the supply chain; It does not include ecosystem values; Hence, the total value of rebuilding all

depleted populations will be much greater than our estimate.

Policy connection

Project is completed; It was commissioned by an NGO; Did results impact policy? Why and how?

► Invited to give a talk at the White House;► Gave a Hill Briefing at the U.S. Congress;► Probably influenced the outcome of the re-

issued M-S Act.

Subsidies work

An example of great collaboration between natural & social scientists:

► Economic theory based on Gordon-Schaefer;► Spatially specified catch database;► Ex-vessel price and landed value databases;► Subsidy database;► Energy consumption database.

Subsidies work

An example of a researcher initiated work that was (is) topical and policy relevant:

► UN discussions on deep and high seas bottom trawling;

► WTO negotiating subsidy disciplines in the Doha Round;

► Significant interest in the subject by NGOs, especially, Oceana.

Policy connection

Received huge publicity in the:► Canadian media;► US media;► International media;

Resulting in a significant contribution not only to the policy debate; but also on the formulation of real policy positions.

Policy connection

The US Congress; The US Senate; Invitation to the WTO:

► Made a presentation to about 35 WTO country delegates;

► Had private meetings with 10 country ambassadors to the WTO;

► Had a private 1 hour meeting with DG of the WTO, Pascal Lamy.

Insert photo …

Concluding remarks

Policy relevant research; Topical policy issue; At least one stakeholder who finds your

research results very important; Willing to talk to the Media: to reach policy-

makers and the general public.

Thanks for your attention!