Prince Charles writes in the Torygraph today on fishing. All the usual noises, not all that bad a piece, yet he misses the major point. As an economic problem it is well known as The Tragedy of the Commons, and we know how to fix those. If you want to think in less economic terms the problem is that we have a hunter gatherer approach to fishing, something not sustainable at the limits of a resource. We need to go to something akin to an agrarian system. We solved it on land with property rights. We could solve it at sea the same way. Simple.
Prince Charles on Fishing.
One response
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Simple in concept, but not in application. Land rights are easy to assign because they are (relatively) fixed and quantifiable. Rights to fish are possible to assign, but experience does suggest the need for significant research on fish stocks and sustainable catch levels. The issue of by-catches needs thought, and the wider implications of the fishery also need assessment. I agree with the prescription, but don’t think that the successful application is easy.
Tim adds: Umm, Yes. Quite right. I would only ask that we start from the correct concept and move forward from there.
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