Buying the Way to a Better Gulf Fishery: Buybacks for Hurricane Relief and Fisheries Rationalization in the Gulf of Mexico

Authors

Michael Pappas, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2006

Keywords

Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, fishing, fisheries, natural resources, coastal resources

Abstract

Fishing stocks in the Gulf of Mexico have been dwindling for years, and in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the fishing industry has found itself in even deeper waters. But whle the two hurricanes caused massive damage to fishing fleets and infrastructrure, they may have also created an opporutnity for reform in the way Gulf fisheries are managed. In this Article Mike Pappas evaluates the use of a buyback program as a posssible solution. After examining the problmes of the Gulf fisheries both before and after the hurricanes, he looks at other buyback programs that have been successful elsewhere in the United States. He then analyzes the potential of a buyback program in the Gulf. He concludes that although buybacks may be a useful interim tool for improving fisheries in the Gulf, they are just one step toward recovery.

Publication Citation

36 Environmental Law Reporter 10800 (2006).

Disciplines

Environmental Law

Digital Commons Citation

36 Environmental Law Reporter 10800 (2006).