Do firm support increase investments? Evidence from the aquaculture and fish processing industries in Sweden

The European Union provides firm support to the maritime sector to reach the policy objectives in the Common Fisheries Policy. This paper analyzes to what extent the investment support to aquaculture and fish processing firms in Sweden increases firm investment activity. By doing so, the paper also quantifies the amount of investments that would have been undertaken also without support (deadweight losses, DWL). The results show that the support increases investment in aquaculture with a factor of 0.65, thus with a DWL of 35%. The corresponding number for fish processing is a DWL of 77%

Are local fisheries important for marine tourism? A case study of the Swedish fishing village Träslövsläge

Coastal fishing fleets are declining in many parts of Europe. In Sweden, this has left many traditional fishing harbours with no or very few active fishers. This might have effects on the marine tourism industry where the existence of commercial fishing is part of the visitors’ tourism experience. In this paper in-depth interviews with local representatives for the tourism sector are combined with a questionnaire to 647 tourists visiting the Swedish harbour of Träslövsläge in 2020. A travel-cost analysis shows that tourists value the existence of fishing vessels to about 9 percent of the total value of the visit, while fishing architecture and a harbour with active commercial fisheries are lower valued. The importance of the fishing attributes varies substantially among tourists. From the interviews it can be concluded that the fishery is important for characterizing the village, but that the tourism experience also needs other activities such as restaurants

Why do Swedish Fishermen Leave the Sector?

An understanding of fishers' decisions to exit or stay in a fishery is important for developing effective policy measures. In this study, we analyze the factors influencing this decision using a large administrative database covering the entire Swedish fisher population, their family ties, and detailed labour market data spanning two more than two decades. This enable us to focus on factors such as multiple-job holding, partner (family) income, education, and other socio-economic variables potentially important for the exit decision. The panel structure of the also makes it possible to analyze the importance of local labour market conditions (such as the unemployment rate). We also analyze the factors influencing the decision to enter fisheries. Interestingly, we find strong intergenerational links in the Swedish fisheries sector; around 65% of all young fishermen (between 20 and 35 years) have a father that work (or used to work) in fisheries. This finding motivated us to estimate an empirical model of occupational choice for children of fishermen. Using discrete choice econometric techniques we find that future income possibilities (proxied by father income) as well as family-related variables affect the probability of entering fisheries.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Joint management of marine mammals and a fish species : The case of cod and grey seals in the Nordic-Baltic Sea countries

In this paper, we present a simple theoretical, steady-state equilibrium, predator-prey model for the joint management of marine mammals and a fish species. As an empirical case, we choose cod and grey seals in the Nordic-Baltic Sea countries, and several benefits and costs related to the latter are considered. We show that the optimal grey seal population is much lower than the actual population, and this result is robust to variations in relevant parameter values. This result can be explained by the fact that the profit from harvesting cod is much higher than the net benefits from grey seals.Peer reviewe

Joint management of marine mammals and a fish species : The case of cod and grey seals in the Nordic-Baltic Sea countries

In this paper, we present a simple theoretical, steady-state equilibrium, predator-prey model for the joint management of marine mammals and a fish species. As an empirical case, we choose cod and grey seals in the Nordic-Baltic Sea countries, and several benefits and costs related to the latter are considered. We show that the optimal grey seal population is much lower than the actual population, and this result is robust to variations in relevant parameter values. This result can be explained by the fact that the profit from harvesting cod is much higher than the net benefits from grey seals.Peer reviewe

Fiske i spåren av Covid-19 - en analys av det svenska yrkesfiskets utveckling och tillgång till stöd

Pandemin med Covid-19 har slagit hårt mot många branscher. För att mildra skadeverkningarna infördes stödåtgärder i flera länder och så även i Sverige. I den här rapporten presenterar vi en genomgång av effekterna av pandemin för svensk fiskenäring, vilka stöd näringen har kunnat söka, och i vilken mån stöden passar fiskenäringens struktur

Lämna småskaligt fiske när sälarna blir fler?

Det småskaliga kustfisket efter torsk i Östersjön har minskat i många år. Det finns flera möjliga orsaker till denna utveckling. En förklaring, som uppmärksammats i debatten, är de växande sälstammarna. Sälen orsakar skador på fiskeredskap och fångst samt konkurrerar med fisket om torsken. I denna studie undersöker vi om skador orsakade av säl ökar sannolikheten att fiskare lämnar torskfisket i Östersjön. Resultaten visar att: * Ökade skador av säl leder till att fiskare lämnar torskfisket i Östersjön. * För fiskare som drabbas av sälskador på mindre än hälften av sina fiskeresor finns ingen ökad sannolikhet att lämna fisket. * Däremot finns det en ökad sannolikhet att lämna fisket för fiskare som drabbas av sälskador på mer än hälften av sina fiskeresor

Seal interactions and exits from fisheries: insights from the Baltic Sea cod fishery

The number of seals in the Baltic Sea has increased dramatically in recent years. While growing seal populations are associated with a thriving marine environment, seals interact with coastal fisheries causing significant damages to catches and gears. One fishery that is severely affected is the coastal cod fishery where the negative impact of seals is believed by many to threaten the existence of the fishery. This article empirically investigates to what extent seal damages can explain the declining number of fishing vessels active in the Baltic Sea coastal cod fishery. The analysis makes use of detailed logbook data and statistical survival models to estimate the effect of seal interactions with fishing gears on the exit probability of vessels in the Swedish cod fishery. The results show that seal interactions is an important factor explaining exits, suggesting that total losses caused by seals go beyond observed costs of broken gears and damaged catches