kvotandelar

Kvotandelar are tradable rights to harvest a specified portion of the total tillåtliga fångst (TAC) in a fishery. They are part of a rights-based management approach intended to promote sustainable harvest while giving fishers and firms a stable basis for investment. Each kvotandel corresponds to a defined quantity of fish that may be landed in a given period, usually one year. The share is typically allocated by a competent authority based on criteria such as historical catch, vessel capacity, or organizational rules. Kvotandelar can be owned and transferred between actors; they may be leased or sold, creating a market for rights. In many systems, a kvotandel is tied to a specific vessel or legal entity, with rules governing transferability to new owners.

Governance and administration: management is usually centralized by a government agency or fisheries council that issues quotas, sets TAC, monitors compliance, and prevents excessive concentration of ownership. Regulations on bycatch, discards, and protections for small-scale fishers are often included through bycatch limits, selective gear requirements, and adjustment mechanisms.

Advantages: a rights-based system can improve stock management, align incentives with conservation, and increase economic efficiency by signaling the value of scarce resources. It can also reduce regulatory uncertainty and encourage investment in selective gear and safety.

Criticism: concerns include potential concentration of quotas among large firms, barriers to entry for new or small-scale fishers, sensitivity to market fluctuations, and social impacts on rural or coastal communities if not designed with safeguards.

See also: quotas, transferable quotas, ITQ, fisheries management.