The inadequacy of self reporting when managing fisheries by quotas.

A commercial red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) quota was imposed in Texas in 1978 to restore stocks by reducing fishing mortality. A self-reporting system was imposed to determine when the quotas were being approached. This system did not achieve the desired result because reports were inaccurate and incomplete. This inaccuracy was not consistent among bays or years. It seems unlikely that quotas will be an effective management tool for most fisheries within current agency budgets.