The Quota Management System is supported by the few investors that have benefited from the protection from competition granted by the QMS. The QMS enables these investors to position themselves in the value chain so they can extract rents from a market that lacks competition.

In many cases the QMS has impoverished the fishermen and women working hard on the water to catch fish and pay fees to quota owners. Often these people are stifled by the need to comply with the demands from the quota owner and the need to access catching rights. This makes it hard for them to speak out against the QMS even if they don’t support the system.