A BIOECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF DECOMMISSIONING PROGRAMS: APPLICATION TO A LIMITED-ENTRY FRENCH SCALLOP FISHERY

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to assess the benefits and costs of decommissioning policies aimed at reducing fleet capacity through premiums offered by the public authority to fishermen to scrap their vessels. A case study, the limited entry scallop fishery of the Saint Brieuc Bay, France, is used to consider the problem of excess capacity and to model the bioeconomic consequences of disinvestment behavior. Special attention is paid to the assessment of fishermen's willingness to leave the fishery and to the implementation of public policy in terms of budget level and premiums offered to the fishermen. Spreadsheet simulations show that the impact of decommissioning programs is positive in terms of net surplus, even in the case of increasing technical efficiency of the vessels.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,