Fisheries property rights and recreational/commercial conflict: implications of policy developments in Australia and New Zealand

Commercial fisheries management in Australia and New Zealand is increasingl y based on better definition of the rights and responsibilities of resource users. At the same time recreational fishers are claiming a greater share of resources lamely based on perceptions of superior economic returns to th e community from their activities. The basis of the conflict between tradit ional, recreational and commercial resource users is moving from physical c ompetition for fish to economic and legal arguments over social priorities. Advantages and disadvantages of increased use of property rights in resour ce allocation are investigated. It is argued that the recreational sector n eeds better definition of its claim for priority access to resources. (C) 2 001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.