EVALUATING TRADE-OFFS IN AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED FISHERY MANAGEMENT PARADIGM: AN EXPLORATION THROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE ATLANTIC BUTTERFISH AND LONGFIN SQUID FISHERIES
Abstract
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, our client for this masters project,
is evaluating how best to transition from a primarily single-species management approach
to an integrated multi-species management paradigm. In this connection, we explore
how economic considerations may be incorporated into an integrated multi-species management
approach by focusing on two closely associated stocks managed by the Council: longfin
squid and Atlantic butterfish.
We take several different approaches in our analysis of the two fisheries, our ultimate
objectives being (i) to characterize the behavior of the fleets based upon historical
landings data and geospatial analysis; and (ii) to provide the Council with insight
into the potential impact of management constraints and ecosystem interactions on
economic benefits in the fisheries. To illustrate potential impacts to economic benefits,
we develop a two-species bioeconomic model and derive optimal harvest levels for the
stocks, taking into account varying degrees of management constraints and ecosystem
interactions.
Based upon our analysis of landings data, we found that the Council’s allocation of
the longfin squid landings quota among trimester management periods is no longer representative
of actual landings in the fishery throughout the year. As a result, there is potential
that the fishery may be forced to close prematurely in the summer months, thereby
reducing economic benefits to participants who are highly dependent on revenues from
the fishery. We also found, based upon our geospatial analysis of butterfish landings
and butterfish bycatch in the longfin squid fishery, that a statistically significant
correlation exists between the distance to shore from the point of catch and the butterfish
bycatch rate.
With respect to the model, we explored the importance of three parameters not generally
included in a single-species model: predation, bycatch by fishermen, and benefits
to the longfin squid population of additional butterfish. We found that all three
have potential economic impacts. We also found that the amount of the total allowable
catch of butterfish allocated to a bycatch cap imposed on the longfin squid fishery
is higher than necessary to prevent early closure of the longfin squid fishery and
could result in lost revenues in the butterfish fishery.
Type
Master's projectSubject
fisheries managementecosystem-based fisheries management
bioeconomic modeling
fisheries economics
environmental economics
resource economics
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6817Citation
Rogers, Anthony; Carlisle, Keith; & Wang, Jiaxi (2013). EVALUATING TRADE-OFFS IN AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED FISHERY MANAGEMENT PARADIGM: AN EXPLORATION
THROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE ATLANTIC BUTTERFISH AND LONGFIN SQUID FISHERIES. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6817.Collections
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