Fish as Private Property

"Last week, Science magazine published a study (unfortunately locked behind a paywall) that claimed that fisheries 'are much less likely to collapse if fishers own rights to fish them, called 'catch shares.' If implemented worldwide, they say, this kind of market-based management could reverse a destructive global trend.' The Science headline (September 19) read: 'Privatization Prevents Collapse of Fish Stocks, Global Analysis Shows.'"

"But are ITQs truly effective because they rely upon a 'market-based system'? Or do they work because they set overall fishing limits, a commons-based solution?"