Ronald Borjeson
Sector Management in New England
This project documents fishery management related changes in individuals, households, and communities in New England.
Samantha Sperry
Ron Borjeson, 62, is a commercial fisherman out of Sandwich, Massachusetts. He began fishing with his uncle while in college and purchased his own boat, on which he still fishes, in 1973. In recent years, he has fished strictly inshore, catching fluke during the summer and a variety of fish during the rest of the year. Mr. Borjeson joined his sectors when sector management began, largely because he felt as though the alternative was not well explained and thus left too many unknowns. He does not feel like sector management is a good idea. He has experienced a decrease in his income because his quota allocation was not sufficient in his view. He has no hope for the future of fisheries and has lost respect for the federal government as a result of the way National Marine Fisheries Services implemented sector management. Overall, Mr. Borjeson would overturn sector management, given the opportunity, and replace it with either trip limits or Days at Sea. He found both of these regulations to be more effective and suitable for the continuation of small business-run fisheries than sectors.
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