Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) is a management system in fisheries allowing fishers to trade fishing quotas. ITQs are commonly used in e.g. Europe, North America, and Australia. In Sweden, the pelagic fisheries (herring, sprat and mackerel fisheries) have an ITQ system, but recently the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) has proposed ITQs also for other fisheries. In this project, we analyse the effects of ITQs on quota concentration and on the processing industry.

Concentration of quotas will occur if one or a few fishing companies buy a large share of the quotas which might lead to market power and potentially to fishing communities loosing activity in the harbors due to local fishers selling their quotas. The effects on the processing industry will be analyzed by a literature review on how ITQs have affected fish processing in other countries. The analysis will also contain interviews and/or questionnaires to processors.

The project is expected to be completed in autumn 2022.