# Commercial fishing quota software that keeps a live balance by species, area and vessel category

> Commercial fishing quota is a share of a fishery's total allowable catch allocated to a named holder, vessel or cooperative for exclusive use, converted each season into a pound allocation as the catch limit moves. The first federal catch share program in the United States began in 1990, the Alaska halibut and sablefish IFQ programs were implemented in 1995, and 50 CFR Part 679 sets how shares become annual pounds. Neurobird keeps a live balance by species, area and vessel category.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/fishquota/
- Product: Neurobird Commercial Fishing Quota Compliance Platform
- Niche: commercial fishing quota
- Buyer: quota holders, vessel owners and fishing co ops
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Commercial Fishing Quota does

- Convert quota share into annual pound allocations as the catch limit moves, without rebuilding the sheet
- Post leases in and out against the right species, area and vessel category
- Match landings and fish tickets to the allocation so an overage is visible the week it happens
- Produce a defensible balance the moment a transfer application or a lender asks for one

## How it works

1. **Load the shares** Quota share by species, area and category, with the conversion to this season's pounds applied when the catch limit is published.
2. **Post every movement** Leases in and out, transfers, and landings from fish tickets all hit the same balance, so an overage shows the week it happens.
3. **Answer on demand** Current balance by area, species and vessel category, ready for a transfer application, a lender or a co op meeting.

## From the source material

> The term catch share refers to fishery management strategies that allocate a portion of the total allowable fishery catch to individuals, cooperatives, communities, or other entities.

Source: NOAA Fisheries, catch shares, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/sustainable-fisheries/catch-shares

## Industry context

- **1976** The Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act created the 8 regional fishery management councils and federal management out to 200 nautical miles. Every quota program sits inside that framework. (source: NOAA Fisheries, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-fisheries-management-united-states)
- **1990** The first federal catch share program in the United States, for Atlantic surf clams and ocean quahogs, began in 1990. Catch shares now cover a long list of federally managed stocks across several regions. (source: NOAA Fisheries, catch shares, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/sustainable-fisheries/catch-shares)
- **1995** NMFS implemented the Pacific halibut and sablefish IFQ programs off Alaska in 1995. Quota share, vessel categories, use caps and transfer approval all date from that program. (source: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, https://www.npfmc.org/)
- **679** 50 CFR Part 679 covers Alaska groundfish and halibut IFQ rules: how quota share converts to annual pounds, who may hold it, and what a transfer requires. (source: eCFR, 50 CFR Part 679, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-VI/part-679)
- **648** 50 CFR Part 648 governs Northeast multispecies, where sector allocations and annual catch entitlements do the same job under different names. (source: eCFR, 50 CFR Part 648, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-VI/part-648)

## Pricing

- Single holder: $180 per entity, per month
- Multi permit: $390 per entity, per month
- Cooperative: $700 per entity, per month

## Questions

### What is commercial fishing quota?

Commercial fishing quota is a share of a fishery's total allowable catch allocated to a named holder, vessel or cooperative for exclusive use. Quota share is the long term holding. Each year it converts into a pound allocation that rises and falls with the catch limit, so the asset stays constant while the fish behind it does not.

### What is the difference between quota share and IFQ pounds?

Quota share is a permanent unit of the fishery. Individual fishing quota pounds are what those shares are worth this season once the catch limit is set. A holder with the same shares can fish 40,000 pounds one year and 26,000 the next without anything changing on the permit.

### Who approves a quota transfer?

The relevant fishery agency, working from the regional council's rules. In the Alaska halibut and sablefish programs, transfers run through NMFS and 50 CFR Part 679 governs eligibility, vessel categories, use caps and blocked shares. A transfer is not a private sale that simply gets recorded afterwards.

### Are catch shares only an Alaska thing?

No. The first federal catch share program in the United States began in 1990 for Atlantic surf clams and ocean quahogs, and the approach now runs in multiple regions. In the Northeast, 50 CFR Part 648 does similar work under different vocabulary, with sector allocations and annual catch entitlements.

### Does this replace fish ticket reporting?

No. Landings still go to the agency the way they always have. This holds your side of the ledger: shares, allocations, leases and the running balance, so the agency number and your number agree before anyone asks.

## Sources

- [50 CFR Part 679, Alaska fisheries](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-VI/part-679)
- [50 CFR Part 679 Subpart D, IFQ management](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-VI/part-679/subpart-D)
- [NOAA Fisheries, catch shares](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/sustainable-fisheries/catch-shares)
- [North Pacific Fishery Management Council](https://www.npfmc.org/)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/