IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/osloec/2008_016.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Optimal Age- and Gear-specific Harvesting Policies for North-East Arctic Cod

Author

Listed:
  • Diekert, Florian K.

    (Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis)

  • Hjermann, Dag Ø.

    (Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis)

  • Nævdal , Eric

    (Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo)

  • Stenseth , Nils Chr.

    (Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis)

Abstract

We examine optimal harvest policies in a multi-cohort, multi-gear bioeconomic model of North-East Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) which includes cannibalism and contains broader ecosystem effects. By controlling the selectivity of the different Fishing equipment, we can partially target different age cohorts. We show that cur- rent gear selectivity implies that the wrong Fish are targeted. Optimization shifts the exploitation pattern towards older and heavier Fish. This increases the harvested biomass while reducing the number of Fish removed from the ocean. The result is a much more robust and abundant cod stock with an age/size distribution closer to the stocks natural state. We optimize the Net Present Value (NPV) generated by the Fishery by letting effort and selectivity be the control variables and and that NPV may be more than doubled, even when only gear selectivity or harvest effort is allowed to vary.

Suggested Citation

  • Diekert, Florian K. & Hjermann, Dag Ø. & Nævdal , Eric & Stenseth , Nils Chr., 2008. "Optimal Age- and Gear-specific Harvesting Policies for North-East Arctic Cod," Memorandum 16/2008, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:osloec:2008_016
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.sv.uio.no/econ/english/research/unpublished-works/working-papers/pdf-files/2008/Memo-16-2008.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wilen, James E., 1985. "Bioeconomics of renewable resource use," Handbook of Natural Resource and Energy Economics, in: A. V. Kneese† & J. L. Sweeney (ed.), Handbook of Natural Resource and Energy Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 2, pages 61-124, Elsevier.
    2. Rognvaldur Hannesson, 1975. "Fishery Dynamics: A North Atlantic Cod Fishery," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 8(2), pages 151-173, May.
    3. Sumaila, U.R., 1997. "Strategic Dynamic Interaction: The Case of Barents Sea Fisheries," Norway; Department of Economics, University of Bergen 172, Department of Economics, University of Bergen.
    4. Ussif Sumaila, 1997. "Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Exploitation of the Arcto-Norwegian Cod Stock," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 10(2), pages 147-165, September.
    5. Hannesson, Rögnvaldur, 2007. "Cheating about the cod," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 698-705, November.
    6. Hannesson, Rögnvaldur, 2007. "Geographical distribution of fish catches and temperature variations in the northeast Atlantic since 1945," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 32-39, January.
    7. Wilen, James E., 2000. "Renewable Resource Economists and Policy: What Differences Have We Made?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 306-327, May.
    8. Nils Chr. Stenseth & Tristan Rouyer, 2008. "Destabilized fish stocks," Nature, Nature, vol. 452(7189), pages 825-826, April.
    9. Homans, Frances R. & Wilen, James E., 2005. "Markets and rent dissipation in regulated open access fisheries," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 381-404, March.
    10. Hannesson, Rognvaldur, 1997. "Fishing as a Supergame," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 309-322, March.
    11. Esben M. Olsen & Mikko Heino & George R. Lilly & M. Joanne Morgan & John Brattey & Bruno Ernande & Ulf Dieckmann, 2004. "Maturation trends indicative of rapid evolution preceded the collapse of northern cod," Nature, Nature, vol. 428(6986), pages 932-935, April.
    12. Spulber, Daniel F., 1983. "Pulse-fishing and stochastic equilibrium in the multicohort fishery," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 309-332, September.
    13. Ragnar Arnason & Leif K. Sandal & Stein Ivar Steinshamn & Niels Vestergaard, 2004. "Optimal Feedback Controls: Comparative Evaluation of the Cod Fisheries in Denmark, Iceland, and Norway," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(2), pages 531-542.
    14. Claire W. Armstrong & Ussif Rashid Sumaila, 2001. "Optimal Allocation of TAC and the Implications of Implementing an ITQ Management System for the North-East Arctic Cod," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 77(3), pages 350-359.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Diekert, Florian K. & Hjermann, Dag Ø. & Nævdal, Eric & Stenseth, Nils Chr., 2010. "Non-cooperative exploitation of multi-cohort fisheries--The role of gear selectivity in the North-East Arctic cod fishery," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 78-92, January.
    2. Florian Diekert & Dag Hjermann & Eric Nævdal & Nils Stenseth, 2010. "Spare the Young Fish: Optimal Harvesting Policies for North-East Arctic Cod," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 47(4), pages 455-475, December.
    3. Tahvonen, Olli, 2009. "Economics of harvesting age-structured fish populations," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 58(3), pages 281-299, November.
    4. Helgesen, Irmelin Slettemoen & Skonhoft, Anders & Eide, Arne, 2018. "Maximum Yield Fishing and Optimal Fleet Composition. A Stage Structured Model Analysis With an Example From the Norwegian North-East Arctic Cod Fishery," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 204-217.
    5. Asche, Frank & Bjørndal, Marianne Tranberg & Bjørndal, Trond, 2014. "Development in fleet fishing capacity in rights based fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 166-171.
    6. Trond Bjørndal & Marko Lindroos, 2012. "Cooperative and non-cooperative management of the Northeast Atlantic cod fishery," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 41-60, April.
    7. Andries Richter & Anne Maria Eikeset & Daan Soest & Florian Klaus Diekert & Nils Chr. Stenseth, 2018. "Optimal Management Under Institutional Constraints: Determining a Total Allowable Catch for Different Fleet Segments in the Northeast Arctic Cod Fishery," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 69(4), pages 811-835, April.
    8. Tarui, Nori & Mason, Charles F. & Polasky, Stephen & Ellis, Greg, 2008. "Cooperation in the commons with unobservable actions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 37-51, January.
    9. P. Michael Link, 2003. "Auswirkungen populationsdynamischer Veränderungen in Fischbeständen auf die Fischereiwirtschaft in der Barentssee," Working Papers FNU-29, Research unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University, revised May 2003.
    10. Gakushi Ishimura & Sam Herrick & Ussif Sumaila, 2013. "Fishing games under climate variability: transboundary management of Pacific sardine in the California Current System," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 15(2), pages 189-209, April.
    11. Ussif, Al-Amin M. & Sumaila, Ussif R., 2005. "Modeling the dynamics of regulated resource systems: a fishery example," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(4), pages 469-479, March.
    12. Poudel, Diwakar & Sandal, Leif K. & Steinshamn, Stein I. & Kvamsdal, Sturla F., 2012. "Do Species Interactions and Stochasticity Matter to Optimal Management of Multispecies Fisheries?," Discussion Papers 2012/1, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    13. Da Rocha, José María & Gutiérrez Huerta, María José & Taboada Antelo, Luis, 2011. "Pulse vs. Optimal Stationary Fishing: The Northern Stock of Hake," DFAEII Working Papers 1988-088X, University of the Basque Country - Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II.
    14. Asche, Frank & Smith, Martin D., 2018. "Viewpoint: Induced Innovation in Fisheries and Aquaculture," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1-7.
    15. Solís, Daniel & del Corral, Julio & Perruso, Larry & Agar, Juan J., 2014. "Evaluating the impact of individual fishing quotas (IFQs) on the technical efficiency and composition of the US Gulf of Mexico red snapper commercial fishing fleet," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 74-83.
    16. Tahvonen, Olli & Quaas, Martin F. & Voss, Rüdiger, 2018. "Harvesting selectivity and stochastic recruitment in economic models of age-structured fisheries," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 659-676.
    17. Duncan Knowler, 2002. "A Review of Selected Bioeconomic Models with Environmental Influences in Fisheries," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 163-181, May.
    18. Florian Diekert, 2012. "Growth Overfishing: The Race to Fish Extends to the Dimension of Size," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 52(4), pages 549-572, August.
    19. Anna M. Birkenbach & Andreea L. Cojocaru & Frank Asche & Atle G. Guttormsen & Martin D. Smith, 2020. "Seasonal Harvest Patterns in Multispecies Fisheries," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 75(3), pages 631-655, March.
    20. Kvamsdal, Sturla & Maroto, José M. & Morán, Manuel & Sandal, Leif K., 2017. "A bridge between continuous and discrete-time bioeconomic models: Seasonality in fisheries," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 364(C), pages 124-131.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bioeconomics; North-East Arctic cod: Age-structure; Gear selectivity; Optimal harvest policies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A10 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:osloec:2008_016. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Mari Strønstad Øverås (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/souiono.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.