A canvass of the resource economics literature of the last thirty years yields a limited number of applications of economic theory to the problems of recreational fishing. This neglect may be linked to the short shrift given to the control of recreational fisheries (relative to commercial fisheries) by fisheries managers...
In the quest to limit the bycatch of non-target species, marine protected
areas (MPAs) have been frequently utilized. MPAs are popular with
ecologists and fishery managers because of their relative ease of
administration, habitat protection benefits, and the widespread acceptance
of MPAs as an instrument of choice for the ecosystem...
Recreational fisheries are severely understudied by fisheries economists, in
spite of their growing importance in the context of fisheries management.
While recreational demand models have been extensively applied to
recreational fisheries, they have rarely been successfully integrated with
bioeconomic models to evaluate policy changes. Furthermore, theoretical
models of open access...
The incidental catch of non-targeted species is a significant issue in fisheries management. Most current approaches to bycatch control have viewed it as a purely technological problem; however, there is growing evidence that fishermen are able to control their bycatch, albeit at a cost, by their choice of where to...
The notion of individual transferable quotas (ITQs) has permeated the fisheries economics literature over the last 40 years. The most long-standing prediction about ITQs has been extensively documented, namely that transferable property rights to harvest induce changes along the extensive margin via consolidation of quota among a smaller number of...
Multispecies fisheries add additional complexity for rights-based management implementation. Imperfectly selective fishing gear may make it difficult for fishermen to match their catch composition with the portfolio of total allowable catches chosen by management. If fishermen can perfectly target their catch, the problem of matching catches with quota allocations declines...
Many recreational fisheries are managed under regulated open access governed by seasonal closures and bag limits. This approach has often promoted a “race to the fish” with cascades of shorter seasons and shrinking bag limits. These restrictions may have significant effects on angler welfare by inefficiently allocating fish across anglers,...
Recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico has followed a familiar pattern to that observed in many commercial fisheries: fishing under regulated open access has promoted a “race to the fish” with cascades of shorter seasons, shrinking bag limits, and significant discards. These restrictions may have significant effects on angler...
Fisheries managers are increasingly expected to manage fisheries in an “ecosystem-based” manner – accounting for ecological interdependencies across species and their coupling with the physical environment. Yet managers lack rigorous, bioeconomic EBM indicators to assess tradeoffs and measure whether the natural capital in exploited ecosystems is sustainably managed. We build...
The Alaska non-pollock multi-species catcher processor trawl fishery, referred to as the Amendment 80 fishery since 2008, is an endlessly fascinating subject from the perspective of an economist. A diverse group of companies and vessels, emphasizing different species mixes from a multi-species ecosystem, targets fish across the Eastern Bering Sea,...