Its the exact same basic idea behind shrimper buy backs. You know, the thing that gave rise to SCA, which in turn, retired some shrimping licenses. Some of you all might have heard about it. Maybe not. I'll break it down for you.
Remove the artificial regulatory barriers associated with right to exploit a limited resource, and thereby allow those who place the highest value on the right to that resource to make use of it. Max. economic return for the resource.
In the example of shrimper licenses, conservation minded folks placed a greater value on the license than did the shrimper. So, the license is sold to the conservation organization who retired the license. Guess that makes me a tree hugger or some running dog lackey for the PEW orgs. cause, by God, I gave a bunch of money to SCA.
Think about anglers, groups of anglers, and boat companies buying out the commercial IFQ's. As an aside, that was my idea way back in the days of SCA when we had that presentation on red snapper by Lance R of TPWD (as I recall). Not that it was my original idea. More like, mere application of well known, tired and true, market principles to a fishery issue.
Not altogether unlike the tags used for many types of big game hunting out West, but instead of a lottery, its auction based initially.
The irony of course being the reaction to this idea, and thats what it is at this stage, a mere idea, is almost identical to that of the shrimpers when they heard "conservation orgs." could buy their licenses.
Think not how this weapon can be used against us, but instead, the manner in which we can wield the weapon to eliminate comm. fishing. Back to basics here guys. Snapper are worth a couple bucks a lb. to a comm. They are worth a ton more than that to you and I. This is the very avenue that allows our higher valuation of the resource to insure that the resource is placed to its most economically beneficial use.
