Fisheries is not the only discipline where models have been used in attempts to fine tune an aspect of the economy. Such fine tuning can prove ineffective because of the uncertainties in the scientific underpinnings of the models and because of the omission of critical elements. In fisheries, the biological...
We describe the first effort at creating a global ex-vessel fish price database. We then demonstrate potential applications of the database by linking it to the Sea Around Us project's spatially defined catch database, which makes it possible to attach catch values to species both in time and space. There...
This paper analyses the state of demersal fisheries in the North and Central Adriatic Sea (FAO Geographical Sub Area (GSA) 17) from an economic and social point of view. The analysis is performed using a set of 25 socio-economic indicators. Indicators represent a valid tool to support the decision making...
The use and management of fish supplies, fish stocks and those who work in fishing and related businesses needs to be governed by good policies and actions, based as far as possible on good research-based advice and other expert information. Fisheries policy makers and managers work in a milieu that...
Fisheries regulations on fishing capacity are usually based on a nominal measurement such as limiting number of vessels of a fleet. However, the nominal measurement of fishing capacity has difficulty in capturing the actual fishing power enhanced by technological changes and potentially leads to biased measures on fishing capacity and...
The economic results of fishing harbours are a key issue for the sustainability of coastal economies. To deal with it, three harbour branches need to be analysed : the suppliers of goods and services, the fishing companies and the trading actors. The compatible state with constraints, various interactions and behaviours...
Indicators of the economic performance of fishing vessels are frequently computed in many countries. Usually, measures of economic performance are based on the return on capital invested. However, several measures of capital value exist, according to the economic information available. In this paper, we use different types of information to...
Traditional productivity measures have been much less prevalent than other measures of economic and biological performance in fisheries economics. It has been increasingly recognized, however, that modeling and measuring fisheries' production relationships is central to understanding and ultimately correcting the repercussions of externalities and poorly designed regulations. We use a...
At the 2001 WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, World Trade Ministers called for improved disciplines on fisheries subsidies, given the perceived impact of these subsidies in contributing to overfishing, overcapacity and other trade distortions. Subsequent deliberations have sought to determine which fisheries subsidies should be disciplined under the WTO framework....
The concept of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAF) is reaching a point of general acceptance by those involved in fisheries. There is also growing agreement that fisheries management must incorporate the complicated and often not-well-understood links between human activities and the environment. As a primary goal of an...
The increasing move to citizen participation in policy formulation is being witnessed in European fisheries. The emergence of the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) and other processes via the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is sparking hope and interest in more regionally relevant, holistic, and hopefully workable fisheries management measures. In...
Why are fisheries policies so hard to reform? While there are many examples of successful policy reform in the sector, these tend to be restricted to a few countries or individual fisheries. There remains significant scope for further reform to address pressing economic, environmental and social issues in the sector....
Earlier this year a White Paper from the Norwegian Minister of the Environment presented a new, holistic, area-based management plan for the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea, including the Fishery protection zone around Svalbard. The plan will provide guidelines for managing human activities in relation to their use and...
Restrictions on flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) in most sectors of OECD countries have been significantly reduced in recent years. In contrast, FDI in the fish harvesting sectors of OECD countries is still heavily restricted through a range of measures including outright bans on FDI, maximum allowable levels of...
The New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries recently set out a strategic approach to managing the adverse effects of fishing on the aquatic environment. The primary purpose of this Strategy for Managing the Environmental Effects of Fishing (SMEEF) is to set out how the Ministry of Fisheries will meet its environmental...
Commercial property rights in New Zealand are designed to address utilisation and sustainability issues relating to single-stock management. However, commercial property rights may not provide incentives that address environmental impacts of fishing if these impacts do not affect the value of the property right. But is it really that simple?...
The outcome of the current multilateral trade negotiations in the Doha Round will have large implications on international fish trade. The author highlights the most likely scenarios in areas such as market access and fisheries subsidies, and outlines the very diverse interests and negotiation positions of WTO members.
The inability to find a solution – acceptable to sufficient stakeholders to achieve political agreement - to effectively adjust fisheries resources management systems and sector policies lies at the heart of most overexploitation tragedies. For developing countries the application of a technological approach - focusing on rights, maximizing single, economic...
New Zealand manages commercial access and allocation through the market-based Quota Management System (QMS). However, the QMS alone is currently insufficient to address several fisheries issues. New Zealand is now developing Objectives-Based Fisheries Management (OBFM) to complement the QMS along two dimensions. First, to improve fisheries outcomes, such as reduced...
This paper begins by outlining the history of the Rules of Origin negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), unfinished business from the Uruguay Round that is separate from the current Doha Round. The treatment of products of the sea is one of a large number of unresolved issues; progress...