The Right to a Healthy Fishery

Mismanagement of fisheries directly infringes on people’s rights to a healthy fishery.

The decline of Cape Cod’s fishery severely impacts the local economy.

When striped bass harvests were restricted, commercial fishermen faced significant financial losses, with a dockside value of $1.2 million lost from a partial closure.  (Gargan)

This shows how Cape Cod’s economy is vulnerable to fish supply drops. These drops in fish supply affect any business connected to the fishing industry, impacting the region's economic well-being. Fisheries closures threaten the stability of Cape Cod’s communities.​

 In New York, officials kept recreational fishing open to protect an industry worth over $1 billion. (Gargan)

As Cape Cod faces similar fishery challenges, protecting recreational fishing becomes vital for sustaining the region’s economy. However, declining fish populations could eventually require closures or tighter regulations, risking an economy that relies on recreational anglers. Showing how a healthy fishery is vital to Cape Cod's Economy.

EFH and HAPC Designation Alternatives and Environmental Impacts, maps of fish species range, 2022

A declining fishery can significantly impact people's right to fish, both commercially and recreationally.

 "Legal rights must be coupled with moral responsibilities if governments, private fishing enterprises, and civil society are to conserve marine resources for present and future generations."(Lam)

 This quote suggests that society has a right to healthy fisheries that extends across generations. It emphasizes that conserving marine resources isn't just for current use but is a right that should be preserved for future generations as well.

"Evolving a social contract for ethical fisheries that explicitly mandates collaborative governance and corporate responsibility can protect public goods and society's right to fish, both to eat and to exist in the sea."  (Lam)

This quote directly states that society has a "right to fish". the right to fish for food and the right to have fish exist as part of healthy marine ecosystems. This frames healthy fisheries as a public good that society has a claim to.