A global study presented in the journal Science reached the conclusion that fisheries which use individual transferable quotas (ITQs) are half less likely to collapse. Apparently, these long-term quotas help conserve fish stocks.

"Under open access, you have a free-for-all race to fish, which ultimately leads to collapse," said research leader Christopher Costello from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). "But when you allocate shares of the catch, then there is an incentive to protect it," he added.

The ITQs work in a very simple manner: a safe level of catch is set for a certain species in an area and the boats or fleets share the catch between them. The quantity can rise or fall from one year to another, depending on what scientists believe to be a safe amount.

The study involved 11,135 fisheries from all over the world, including 121 that used ITQs. "In fisheries with catch shares I have come across situations where they lobby managers to decrease the catch, because they know that if they back off this season, the stock will grow to a level where they can increase the harvest next time around," explained Mr. Costello.

The conclusion is that instead of competing, sharing can make fishing a lot safer, preserve fish populations and also help with the recovery of the stocks. "It's good for the fish, it's good for the fishermen, but it's not so good for TV shows," said Steven D. Gaines, a marine ecologist at UC Santa Barbara, referring to shows such as "Deadliest Catch," starring a group of fishermen looking to catch as much crab as possible in a few days.