Assessing Equity in the Distribution of Fisheries Management Benefits: Data and Information Availability

Fisheries are essential to the global economy and feed billions around the world; they, support individuals and communities, and sustain cultural heritages and livelihoods. Although U.S. fisheries have been managed for commercial fishing historically, there has been an interest more recently in better accounting for and meeting the needs of the diverse individuals, groups, and communities that rely on and participate in fisheries, or aspire to do so. At the request of the National Marine Fisheries Service, this report considers information needs and data collection for assessing the distribution of fisheries management benefits. Assessing Equity in the Distribution of Fisheries Management Benefits identifies information needs, obstacles to collecting information, and potential methodologies for assessing where and to whom the primary benefits of commercial and for-hire fishery management accrue. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 The National Marine Fisheries Service Mandate for Equity 3 Distributional Equity of Fishery Permit and Allocation Benefits 4 Beneficiaries of Fishery Management Decisions 5 Next Steps and Current Efforts for Assessing Equity References Appendix A: Public Meeting Agendas Appendix B: Committee Biographies