PDF Proofs For Proofing Purposes Only PDF Proofs For Proofing Purposes Only PDF Proofs For Proofing Purposes Only Journal of Natural Resources & Life Sciences Education • Volume 39 2010 1 k–12 education I n 2007, thousands of commercial fishers continue to make their living from fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, whereas recreational fishers spend millions of days on the water, traveling from many states to enjoy fishing in the Gulf. These people are stakeholders—people who claim an involvement in a resource and its management (Groom et al., 2005). Their lives and livelihoods are involved in the living marine resources in the Gulf, whether to pay their mortgages or provide valuable recreation. Red snapper fishers are also impacted by management actions, and they have representatives on the government-created group that manages these living resources, called the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council (GMFMC). In practice, these representatives often advocate for recreational or commer- cial interests when deciding on management changes. On 12 Mar. 2007, a federal judge struck down the fed- eral fishery management plan for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico (McCann, 2007). Scientific studies showed that the Gulf of Mexico red snapper population had shrunk 90% between 1970 and March of 2007 (Gillig et al., 2001) and, Competing Interests, Economics, and Marine Fisheries Management: An Educational Case Study James T. Thorson,* Jim Berkson, and Brian Murphy J.T. Thorson, Virginia Tech/NMFS-RTR Unit; 101 Cheatham Hall; Blacksburg, VA 24061 (currently: Univ. of Washington, School of Aquatic & Fishery Scineces, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195-5020); J. Berkson, National Marine Fisheries Service, Recruitment, Training and Retention Unit at Virginia Tech, 114 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061; B. Murphy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 100 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061. Received 11 Sept. 2009. *Corresponding author (thorson@vt.edu). J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ. 39:xx–xx (2010). doi:10.4195/jnrlse.2009.0035k • http://www.JNRLSE.org © American Society of Agronomy 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711 USA ABSTRACT Managing fish resources in the ocean, known as marine fisheries management, often involves disagreement among many groups of people: commercial fishers, recreational anglers, national and local conservationists, and several branches of government. While managing marine fisheries in federal waters, the federal government must rebuild marine fish populations while balancing the economic demands of these competing groups. Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a particularly useful example, involving more than 200,000 people and $80 million each year in the Gulf of Mexico. After a lawsuit won by conser- vation groups in 2007, the National Marine Fisheries Service was required to tighten management while selecting from many possible management tools. We envision that students will read this case study and participate in classroom discussion using the questions and teaching notes that are included. Students will then be divided between recreation and commercial user groups, and will advocate for their user group in a classroom role play in an attempt to persuade a third group: student resource managers. These student resource managers will ultimately select a set of allocation and management actions for the red snapper fishery that will decrease total catch as required by the 2007 court case, which can be compared with real-world decisions. This study aims to illustrate the complex conflicts and economic issues that surround fisheries management decisions. The learning objectives are: (1) to develop and demonstrate students’ ability to craft arguments in a debate, and (2) to build student experience working as a team doing research and planning an argument. Copyright © 2010 by the American Society of Agronomy. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. after 2 years of courtroom struggle, The Ocean Conser- vancy and partners had successfully argued that the court should overturn a federal plan for red snapper, influenc- ing 200,000 people and $80 million each year (Holiman, 1999; Gillig et al., 2001). The court’s decision required the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to develop a new management plan that would rebuild the red snapper popu- lation by 2037 (McCann, 2007). The NMFS needed to select from a diversity of possible management tools, and turned to the GMFMC to help identify management changes that would allow the population to rebuild. We will focus on the economic context for recreational and commercial stakeholders within this red snapper fishery to discuss a situation familiar to fisheries manag- ers and highlight the complexity of managing a fishery with many stakeholder groups. Specifically, this case will focus on the economic conflicts that arise when allocat- E09-0035k 7 exhibits subject collections: Case studies, natural resources, economics, teaching tools Abbreviations: GMFMC, Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council; IFQ, individual fishing quota; MPA, marine protected area; NMFS, National Marine Fisheries Service; TAC, total allowable catch. Impact Statement Oceans are big politics: a topic of general concern to consumers, politicians, and voters. However, few students learn about ocean management during their public education. This case study will teach students about the complicated issues and conflicts that surround marine fisheries management while also developing critical thinking and analysis skills.