Cooperatives in US fisheries: realizing the potential of the fishermenʹs collective marketing act

The economic successes of recent quota-based harvest cooperatives in the Pacific Northwest and an Alaskan salmon marketing cooperative highlight the potential for more extensive forms of collective behavior afforded by the Fishermenʹs Collective Marketing Act (FCMA) of 1934. Court rulings during the 1930s–1950s clarified what was considered anti-competitive behavior by fishermenʹs groups, but the lack of controls on entry and harvests in the mostly open access fisheries undermined the full potential of the FCMA. With more fisheries now being managed by limited access and quotas, fishery cooperatives will be better able to share harvest capacity and/or profits, reduce costs, improve product quality, and negotiate prices.