International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade
Abstract
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 assess capital value and economic performance of fishing vessels. On the one hand, field surveys provide technical and financial information on the main components of fishing capital (vessel, engine, electronics, and storage equipment). On the other hand, book values are given in bookkeeping databases. Both sources of information on fishing capital are used for the same set of vessels, namely the commercial fishing fleet of the French region of Brittany. Based on these two sources, several measures of economic performance can be produced, concerning return on capital and capital productivity. The measures of performance obtained are presented, and the differences between them are then discussed
