21st century fisheries management: a spatio-temporally explicit tariff-based approach combining multiple drivers and incentivising responsible fishing

Abstract Kraak, S. B. M., Reid, D. G., Gerritsen, H. D., Kelly, C. J., Fitzpatrick, M., Codling, E. A., and Rogan, E. 2012. 21st century fisheries management: a spatio-temporally explicit tariff-based approach combining multiple drivers and incentivising responsible fishing. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 590–601. Traditionally fisheries management has focused on biomass and mortality, expressed annually and across large management units. However, because fish abundance varies at much smaller spatio-temporal scales, fishing mortality can potentially be controlled more effectively if managed at finer scale. The ecosystem approach requires more indicators at finer scales as well. Incorporating ecosystem targets would need additional management tools with potentially conflicting results. We present a simple, integrated, management approach that provides incentives for “good behaviour”. Fishers would be given a number of fishing-impact credits, called real-time incentives (RTIs), to spend according to spatio-temporally varying tariffs per fishing day. RTI quotas and tariffs could be based on commercial stocks and ecosystem targets. Fishers could choose how to spend their RTIs, e.g. by limited fishing in high-catch or sensitive areas or by fishing longer in lower-catch or less sensitive areas. The RTI system does not prescribe and forbid, but instead allows fishers to fish wherever and whenever they want; ecosystem costs are internalized and fishers have to take them into account in their business decisions. We envisage no need for traditional landings or catch quotas for the fleets while operating under the scheme. The approach could facilitate further devolution of responsibility to industry.</jats:p

Exploring the RTI (real-time incentive) tariff-based approach to single-species fisheries management

In the recently proposed real-time incentives (RTI) fisheries management approach fishers would be allocated fishing-impact credits ('RTIs') to spend according to spatiotemporally varying tariffs. RTI-quota and tariffs would be based on commercial stock targets, and tariffs could be updated based on real-time CPUE data. The fisher could dynamically choose how to spend his RTIs, e.g. by limited fishing in sensitive areas and fishing longer in less sensitive areas. Using a conceptual simulation framework we explore the feasibility of RTI-management given potential responses by fishermen and have a look at the internal dynamics of the system. In particular, we consider various tactical decision-making strategies that may be used by fishermen to optimise their fishing activities within the system. In addition, we explore RTI-management in the context of the classical mixed-fisheries problem, where restricting fishing mortality of a vulnerable "choke" species could unnecessarily restrict fishing on other species. We find that the adaptive management explicit in the RTI-system can, in principle, cope with various forms of tactical fisher behaviour, even misreporting, and that the system responds in a coherent and understandable way. We show that RTI-management can, in principle, to a large extent overcome the classical mixed-fisheries problem, since the fishing mortality of a "choke" species can be controlled while simultaneously allowing fishing opportunity for other species. We discuss our findings as a first step of explorations needed towards testing the RTI-system in the context of its practical implementation. © 2014 Elsevier B.V

On scientists’ discomfort in fisheries advisory science: the example of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluations

Scientists feel discomfort when they are asked to create certainty, where none exists, for use as an alibi in policy-making. Recently, the scientific literature has drawn attention to some pitfalls of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluation (MSE). For example, while estimates concerning central tendencies of distributions of simulation outcomes are usually fairly robust because they are conditioned on ample data, estimates concerning the tails of distributions (such as the probability of falling below a critical biomass) are usually conditional on few data and thus often rely on assumptions that have no strong knowledge base. The clients of scientific advice, such as the European Commission, are embracing the mechanization of the evaluation of proposed Harvest Control Rules against the precautionary principle and management objectives. Where the fisheries management institutions aim for simple answers from the scientists, giving 'green/red light' to a proposed management strategy, the scientists are forced into a split position between satisfying the demands of their advisory role and living up to the standards of scientific rigour. We argue against the mechanization of scientific advice that aims to incorporate all relevant processes into one big model algorithm that, after construction, can be run without circumspection. We rather encourage that fisheries advice should be a dynamic process of expert judgement, incorporating separate parallel concurrent, lines of scientific evidence, from quantitative and qualitative modelling exercises and factual knowledge of the biology and the fishery dynamics. This process can be formalized to a certain degree and can easily accommodate stakeholder viewpoints. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

RTI (“Real-Time Incentives”) outperforms traditional management in a simulated mixed fishery and cases incorporating protection of vulnerable species and areas

The recently proposed 'Real-Time Incentive (RTI)' fisheries-management approach replaces catch or landings quotas and days-at-sea limitations with a single allowance of fishing-impact credits ('RTIs'). According to this concept, fishing mortality rates of multiple species and impacts on the ecosystem are regulated through a single 'currency'. Fishers can fish where and when they want and spend their allocated RTIs according to spatiotemporally varying tariffs. Managers set the tariffs based on agreed target mortality rates of multiple species, using knowledge of the spatiotemporally varying catchabilities of the various species caught or impacted in a mixed fishery. We explore algorithms for combining real-time CPUE data of up to four different species in a conceptual simulation model. The simulations indicate that RTI may perform better than several traditional management systems, such as broad-brush effort restrictions, Total Allowable Catches and Total Allowable Landings, in terms of controlling harvest rates of several species in a mixed fishery with differing catchabilities, while at the same time limiting impact on a vulnerable species or ecosystem elements. Performance weakens with greater spatial overlap of the 'choke' and other species, and also when fish migrate. Real-time updating requires that local CPUE levels in a given time step are predictive of catchabilities in the following time step. Historical information may be more accurate than real-time information if migration patterns are similar year-on-year. RTI allows the fishers to derive the balance between limiting mortality on choke and vulnerable species and optimally exploiting others because it internalises the cost of undesirable outcomes. In the light of the Ecosystem Based Approach to Fisheries Management, and in particular in the context of the European Union landings obligation, the integrated RTI fisheries management approach could offer a practical solution that addresses some of the problems inherent in a multi-objective fishery system. RTI is ready for case-specific testing