What is a CQE?

Between 1995 and 1998, almost a quarter of halibut and sablefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) shares issued to residents of small coastal communities in the Gulf of Alaska had been transferred away. In response, the National Marine Fisheries Service amended the halibut and sablefish IFQ program to allow certain small, rural fishing communities to establish a Community Quota Entity (CQE). This non-profit organization, once established, has the right to purchase IFQ on the open market for exclusive and permanent use by community residents. Residents design eligibility requirements and a quota management plan that is approved by NOAA. Fishermen can participate in the process, and all participants help to iterate the rules year after year to ensure that quota is used in a way that not only benefits individual fishing businesses, but the whole community. Importantly, quota shares purchased by the CQE can only be sold if the profits are used to improve local fisheries access.