Alternative fisheries

"It's no secret that our current management practices for marine fisheries leave a lot to be desired. Typically, a quota is given for a type of fish, and every member of the fishing fleet is given the opportunity to compete for as much of the quota as possible, creating a tragedy of the commons situation. With no guarantee that they'll be able to catch any fish the following year, each boat in the fleet has an incentive to maximize its catch and, if possible, violate the quota. A paper in Science looks at an alternate method that acts a bit like a cap-and-trade system for fish, and finds that it could help stave off further collapses." (Thanks Daniel)