Bioeconomic Analysis of Management Options for Tropical Fisheries Using a Bicriteria Programming Model

A possible approach to the management of the multispecies multi-gear fishery in a developing country was explored. The small petagics fishery in central Philippines was analyzed in three stages. A dynamic pool model represented the dynamics of the stocks. The optimal allocation of catch across competing fleets was modeled having regard for the pursuit of two conflicting objectives, maximizing employment and fishing profits. Alternative management schemes were then explored. On the basis of the criteria used, the optimal fleet size was a small fraction of the existing fleet size. Calculation of increased target yields through regulation of fishing mortality and selectivity showed that the increase in optimal feet size would be moderate because the current level of exploitation is close to that producing the maximum yield-per-recruit. An agenda for exploration of further management alternatives appropriate to the social and economic policy objectives of a developing country is discussed.bioeconomics, Philippines, small pelagics, multicriteria decision making, fishery economics, fishery management, tropical fisheries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Production Economics,

Socioeconomics of Individual Transferable Quotas and Community-Based Fishery Management

In many fisheries around the world, the failures of centralized, top-down management have produced a shift toward co-management—collaboration and sharing of decision making between government and stakeholders. This trend has led to a major debate between two very different co-management approaches—community-based fishery management and market-based individual transferable quota management. This paper examines the debate over the relative merits of these models and undertakes a socioeconomic analysis of the two approaches. The paper includes (1) an analysis of differences in the structure, philosophical nature, and underlying value systems of each, including a discussion of their treatment of property rights; (2) a socioeconomic evaluation of the impacts of each system on boat owners, fishers, crew members, other fishery participants, and coastal communities, as well as the distribution of benefits and costs among fishery participants; and (3) examination of indirect economic effects that can occur through impacts on conservation and fishery sustainability. The latter relate to (a) the conservation ethic, (b) the flexibility of management, (c) the avoidance of waste, and (d) the efficiency of enforcement. The paper emphasizes the need for a broader approach to analyzing fishery management options, one that recognizes and properly assesses the diversity of choices, and that takes into account the interaction of the fishery with broader community and regional realities.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Challenging ITQs: Legal and Poltical Action in Iceland, Canada and Latin America

The research for this paper was triggered by a stunning judgement of the Icelandic Supreme Court in December 1998, which declared as unconstitutional existing fisheries laws on individual transferable quotas (ITQs), because they privileged those who derived their fishing rights from ownership of vessels during a specific period over which their "fishing history" was established (Pálsson 1999, Copes 1999a, Gudmundsdóttir 1999). In Iceland, as elsewhere, it has been the practice to start up ITQ systems by giving away quotas for free to individuals or companies owning licensed fishing vessels at the time an ITQ regime is introduced. The amount of quota allocated to recipients is usually calculated in relation to their recent catch history. The Court decided that this privileged allocation violates both the constitutional provision against discrimination and the provision concerning the "right to work". This set the stage for intensified legal and political discussions in Iceland about ITQs. There are potential implications for the constitutionality or legality of similar systems elsewhere. The ruling is interesting, in its own right, to legal scholars, anthropologists, political scientists, and investigators concerned with common property regimes and public-trust doctrines. In our paper we explore emerging constitutional and political challenges to ITQ systems in Iceland, Canada and South America