Fisheries Economics

Several surplus production-based bioeconomic models are applied to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) commercial lobster fishery. The model which best explains the biological dynamics of the fishery is a modification of the Fox model developed by the authors. Economic costs are applied within a number of conceptual frameworks to develop the first inte-grated bioeconomic model of the fishery. I n another development, the oppor-tunity cost of labor based on crew share at the open access equilibrium level offishing effort is used instead ofproxy wage levels. Given the costs incurred, the fishery appears to be self-regulating in terms of long-term fishing eflort for maximum sustainable yield.

Abstract: For a social and economic standpoint prawn farming
will remain an important part of the rural economy. From an
environmental standpoint impacts of intensive prawn culture
will only become exacerbated if the discharge of untreated
effluent continues. This could have severe consequences for
the industry in the future. Alternative systems, such as
nutrient recycling systems, or alternative water treatment
strategies are necessary to mitigate negative impacts in the
future. The potential for higher farm income through
remediation of currently idle ponds will provide a significant
incentive for farmers to make them back on scampi farming.
Factors encouraging prawn farming expansion are
compatibility with agriculture, small farmers can practice in
their own land, opportunities for women’s involvement, no
interference with mangrove or environment. Revive the
scampi industry can made it a major contributor in earning
foreign exchange for our country and at the same time play a
crucial role to the employment generation and socio-economic
upliftment of a major portion of coastal rural fisher folk.

Unlike most of the industrial sectors, in which the activity can be planned, in the fishing sector the most of the variable costs are paid in advance, with no certainty about the level of production that will be achieved, nor on the level of demand to be met, a level that usually occurs only after the production. This is well know in the adriatic markets of the small pelagic fish, in which the oversupply is irregular and discontinuous, so that the firm cannot handle it. In this context, the policy maker addresses issues of reproduction of the biomass with linear cuts in the fishing days, which exacerbate the problem because they rarely take into account market trends. The study develops a strategy for the cutting of the quantities caught, defined as the "leopard spot" strategy, which evaluates simultaneously the effect on prices of the relevant markets of the Adriatic sea, and compares his impact with that produced by the current strategy. The simulation on the income statements of fishing firms demonstrates the clear superiority of the proposed strategy. This relies on a model of the market price that out-sample limits the prediction error by a minimum of 0,7 euro cents up to a maximum of 14 euro cents.

Budidaya rumput laut kotoni merupakan komoditas unggulan Kabupaten Seram Bagian Barat
yang mendapat atensi pemerintah dalam pengembangannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji
faktor-faktor produksi dan perkembangan produksi usaha budidaya rumput laut di Kabupaten Seram
Bagian Barat. Analisis dilakukan dengan metode deskriktif kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Hasil kajian faktorfaktor
produksi menunjukkan lahan yang dinyatakan layak bagi usaha budidaya rumput laut tingkat
pemanfaatannya masih sangat rendah. Material dan sarana penunjang serta bibit tersedia dan cukup
mudah diperoleh. Sumberdaya manusia pembudidaya tersedia dan dengan dominasi tingkat pendidikan
yang relatif rendah yakni sekolah dasar. Hasil kajian perkembangan volume produksi menunjukkan
trend penurunan sejak tahun 2009. Kualitas produksi rumput laut kering yang dihasilkan pembudidaya
secara umum mutunya masih rendah dan belum sesuai dengan spesifikasi pabrikan dan eksportir.
Untuk pengembangan usaha dibutuhkan ekstensifikasi lahan, pembinaan mutu produk serta upaya
menstabilkan harga jual rumput laut kering.

This monograph  results from a project with the following objectives

1. research and assess the extent to which access agreements in the region implement international agreements, in particular the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention and the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement.
2. research and assess the extent to which access agreements promote responsible fisheries in the region.
3. review and assess the extent to which access agreements implement regional legal instruments, in particular, the Niue Treaty on Co-operation in Surveillance and Fisheries Law Enforcement, the Nauru Agreement and the Harmonised Minimum Terms and Conditions of Access and the Palau Arrangement for the Management of the Western Pacific Purse Seine Fishery.
4. analyse the implications of the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks of the Western Central Pacific for access agreements
5. analyse the implications of the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks of the Western Central Pacific for Flag State control and control of nationals and MCS in the region.

Kondisi pesisir Kabupaten Demak, Jawa Tengah –seperti kawasan pesisir lainnya- lekat dengan kemiskinan struktural. Demak terkenal sebagai kota Wali dengan tradisi keagamaan yang sangat taat dan fanatik. Selain itu budaya patriaki sangat kental. Ditengah rintangan eksternal tersebut berdirilah Puspita Bahari, yaitu kelompok nelayan perempuan di Morodemak. Keberadaan Puspita Bahari adalah satu contoh yang unik. Mereka sering mendapat tekanan dan stigma dari masyarakat. Masyarakat mencibir mereka dengan anggapan, bahwa perempuan yang bergabung di dalamnya adalah yang sudah tidak betah mengurus suami dan keluarga.

Kegiatan ekonomi Puspita Bahari adalah: pertama aktivitas pasca produksi, bidang ekonomi, yakni membuat kerupuk ikan, terasi, tepung ikan, ikan Asin, pengasapan dan makanan-makanan dari hasil laut; kedua aktifitas pra produksi, mendirikan koperasi simpan-pinjam sebagai soko guru komunitas pinjam dan menyediakan kebutuhan melaut (miyang); ketiga, produksi ikan tangkap, mereka punya alat produksi berupa perahu yang digunakan oleh para suami dari ibu-ibu anggota Puspita Bahari, dengan pengelolaan tetap dibawah Puspita Bahari.

Aktivitas produksi perikanan tangkap ini yang membedakannya dari kelompok pengolah hasil perikanan yang lain. Karena dengan aktivitas ini mereka berhasil memutus hambatan eksternal, yaitu persoalan bahan baku. Kelengkapan rantai produksi ini menciptakan sinergi yang mengarah kepada efisiensi biaya. Bagi nelayan laki-laki, ini sangat membantu, karena harga pokok yang dibeli Puspita Bahari lebih tinggi apabila dijual kepada tengkulak.

The status of artisanal fisherfolks and gillnet fisheries of Igbokoda coastline area of Ondo State, Nigeria was studied in 2013 with the view of updating knowledge on the socioeconomic indices, fishing gears and prime catches of the fisher folks in the area. Forty structured questionnaire and in-depth guided interviews were used to obtain data related to socioeconomic indices of the fisherfolks and were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The respondents were dominated by men with 87.5% while the women share 12.5%. Ilaje tribe has 65%, Apoi 27.5%, and Urobo has 7.5% of the respondents. The study indicated that fishing practices were mainly the profession of the young persons and that the educational level of fisher folks was high in the area. Findings also showed that the average annual household income of fisherfolk households was comparable to most government/public employees holding equivalent qualifications in the neighbouring area. The data obtained revealed that gill net constituted over 80% of the total gear used in the study area and which also determined the size of fish harvested. The catch compositions were Clarias gariepinus, Heterobranchus bidorsalis, Polypterus ansorgii and Hepsetus odoe. The fishery of the area could support the strides towards employment generation, poverty alleviation and supply of animal protein to the teeming Nigerian population.

Central to any other economic activity in production is the issue of efficiency. This paper employed the stochastic frontier production function to analyse the technical efficiency of 232 randomly selected artisanal fishermen in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The result shows that 96.7% of contract, 60.66% of the former contract, 26.25% of the non-contract and 94.8% of all fishers were 90% technology efficient; minimum efficiency were 0.82, 0.53, 0.71 and 0.86 respectively while the maximum and mean efficiency was 0.99 and 0.98 for all the categorised fishermen. Introduction Many poor rural dwellers rely on fisheries as their primary livelihood source especially in the coastal region of the sub Saharan Africa. This is because it provides direct and indirect employment opportunities, income and nutrition. According to IFAD (2004), it contributes to household resilience and reduced vulnerability to natural hazards and economic uncertainty. In Nigeria, it generates more than 3% of the country's foreign exchange earnings and provides paid and self-employment to 8% of the population. Central Bank of Nigeria Annual Report (2012) reported that the fisheries sector contributes 6% to the total GDP at a growth rate of 6%. The government distinguishes between artisanal and aquaculture, the latter being commercial fish farming. The artisanal sector is divided into two categories: small-scale and industrial. The fishery sector in Nigeria is dominated by small scale artisanal fishermen, which involve fishing households using " relatively " small amount of capital and energy, small fishing boats, making short fishing trips close to shore and producing mainly for local consumption (FAO, 2007). Central Bank of Nigeria Annual Report (2012) note that catches from artisanal inland rivers/lakes and artisanal coastal/brackish waters grew by 5.0 and 4.9% respectively. The development was largely attributed to the continued utilization of various constructed and rehabilitated fish cage structures and dam reservoirs across the six (6) geopolitical zones (2 per zone), coupled with the increased activities and investment by the private sector in fish farming. The output of the sub-sector was; however, lower than the estimated national annual demand of 1.5 million tonnes. It is apparent that the success of the agricultural sector in Nigeria is critical for raising living standards and for food self-sufficiency and as a sustainable source of livelihood for a large population. The Nigeria's agriculture programmes, as proposed in the New Agricultural policy for Nigeria has not officially recognises the importance of the fishery sub-sector and has made several attempts over the years to increase its production and productivity through institutional and economic reforms. Such reforms include: the Sea fisheries decrees (No. 30) of 1971, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) decree of 1978, Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) established in 1975, the National Council on Agriculture (NCA), the National Institute of Marine Research (NIOMR) and National Institute for Fresh Water Fisheries Research (NIFFR). Other programmes like the National Accelerated Fish Production Programme (NAFPP) was also introduced by the Federal Government with the mandate of supplying fishing inputs to fishermen at a 50% subsidy to increase maximum capture efficiency and the Fish Development Project of Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI) etc. However, the first comprehensive agricultural policy for Nigeria with fisheries as a component was put forward in 1988. The document decentralized the responsibilities to the three tiers of Government in Nigeria-Federal, State and Local Governments. The fisheries policy objectives were: to increase domestic production, increase fish export promotion, employment creation by mechanization of the sector, increase per capita income, development of local fisheries based industries and; rational management and conservation of fisheries resources. All, with the sole purpose of making agricultural production more profitable and competitive. Be that as it may, this policy objective is far from reality. The artisanal fishers on like any other agricultural entrepreneur, typically produce to satisfy both household food needs and profit. With this dual interest in mind, he optimizes his effort and efficiently targets the use of resources. Thus, efficiency becomes an importance determinant in his productive bid. Efficiency which is how effectively the unit produces as large an amount of output as possible, for the purpose of profit maximization, given technology available is the kernel in resource allocation in agriculture. This is because the scope of agricultural production can be expanded and sustained by farmers through efficient use of resources

Reports have suggested the global depletion of fish stocks is, in part, due to illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing by foreign vessels. To overcome this, lower-income Coastal States that are heavily dependent on fish resources have, at times, been encouraged to invest in their own fleets. In addition to overcoming the IUU issues, investment in domestically-based fleets is argued as a method to increase revenues to the Coastal State. However, there seems to be little acknowledgement of the real opportunity cost of investing in a domestically-based fleet. This paper approaches the issue through the use of a cost-benefit analysis and an input-output model. Additionally, a bioeconomic analysis is employed to estimate the real opportunity cost to any domestic fleet investment. Using these analytical tools, the direct and indirect benefits of a domestically-based fleet were estimated using Tuvalu as a case study. In this case, it was found that a domestically-based fleet would not provide the highest returns to Tuvalu due to the country’s higher comparative production costs and the environmental degradation costs to society. Furthermore, this research discovered potential risks to the proposed regional policies upon which this analysis was based.

This research was undertaken to examine the gender perspective of Catfish farming as a livelihood base and the issue of water quality using a case study of Lagos state, Nigeria. Primary data elicited from a sample size of 70 Catfish farmers (38 male and 32 female Catfish farmers) were employed in the data. Analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and Z statistic. The result of the data analysis revealed that the profitability of the male Catfish farmers was higher than that of the female Catfish famers and this implies that women with a lower profitability compared to men will tend to have a lower livelihood support from Catfish production in contrast to men who will tend to have a higher livelihood support from Catfish farming as a result of their higher profit margin. All the women catfish farmers attributed poor water quality to be the major constraints militating against their profitability in Catfish farming and invariably their source of livelihood. It is recommended that mainstreaming gender in manpower training, equitable distribution of resources and access to supportive services should be prioritized towards enhancing their Catfish productivity and improving their livelihood support.

This study examined the determinants of household expenditure on major food items viz: staples, meat and meat related products (fish and eggs), beverages and all food items, analyse the income elasticities of demand for all the food items and investigate the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) on the various food items and make policy recommendations based on the findings of the study. Primary data were collected from 179 households using a set of structured questionnaire. The data were analysed using ordinary least square regression (OLS). Results obtained from the analyses showed that the major determinants of household consumption expenditure on foods were found to be income, household size and educational level of household head. Only meat and meat related products were found to be income elastic (ey = 2.529). Other categorise food classes were income inelastic. The marginal propensity to consume meat and meat related products was highest (0.33) while beverages had the least MPC (0.02). This, therefore, suggest the need to pursue policies that would enhance educational attainment in the study area.

Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis backward bending supply curve terhadap surplus ekonomi pemanfaatan sumberdaya LRFF di perairan Kepulauan Spermonde, Sulawesi Selatan. Metode analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah gambaran (deskripsi) perdagangan sumberdaya LRFF, analisis backward bending supply curve sumberdaya LRFF (model permintaan dan penawaran), laju eksploitasi sumberdaya LRFF (sensitifitas discount rate) dan analisis kesejahteraan (suplus ekonomi). Dengan analisis backward bending supply curve diketahui titik keseimbangan (equilibrium) antara permintaan dan penawaran berada pada saat harga sumberdaya LRFF atau p = 38.762 rupiah per kg dan suplai atau h = 983,482 ton. Sedangkan kurva penawaran akan berbalik ke belakang (backward bending supply) pada saat hMSY yaitu sebesar 1.107 ton. Dengan discount rate berlaku (riil ) sebesar 8,99 % diperoleh surplus produsen sebesar 300.828 juta rupiah, surplus konsumen sebesar 1.262.972 juta rupiah dan surplus ekonomi sebesar 1.563.800 juta rupiah. Hal ini menunjukkan surplus produsen yang diterima oleh produsen dalam hal ini nelayan jauh lebih kecil jika dibandingkan dengan yang diterima oleh konsumen. Pada analisis sensitifitas discount rate menunjukkan semakin meningkat nilai riil  maka kurva penawaran akan semakin cepat berbalik (backward bending curve) yang juga menunjukkan semakin cepat menurunnya surplus ekonomi (kesejahteraan). Rekomendasi yang dapat diberikan antara lain alternatif pemenuhan suplai berguna agar peningkatan harga tidak memberikan insentif meningkatkan effort untuk penangkapan namun lebih ke peningkatan suplai dari budidaya. Selain itu, perlu adanya kontrol terhadap input penangkapan misalkan pembatasan dengan instrumen ekonomi terhadap jumlah effort (pajak tambahan untuk restocking) Kata Kunci : backward bending supply curve, suplus ekonomi, pemanfaatan, sumberdaya ikan karang hidup konsumsi (LRFF), perairan Kepulauan Spermonde Pendahuluan Salah satu perdagangan internasional yang berbasis sumberdaya alam adalah sektor perikanan. Sektor perikanan merupakan salah satu sektor yang diandalkan dalam pembangunan ekonomi bangsa Indonesia karena dapat memberikan dampak ekonomi pada sebagian besar penduduk Indonesia. Produk perikanan juga menjadi bahan makanan penting manusia baik di dalam maupun di luar negeri, sehingga sektor perikanan menjadi salah satu sumber pendapatan negara di samping menjadi sumber mata pencaharian masyarakat di kawasan pantai terutama nelayan. Sebagai salah satu komoditas andalan, perikanan mempunyai tekanan yang sangat berat terhadap sumberdayanya. Salah satu sektor perikanan yang menjadi permintaan pasar luar negeri adalah ekspor ikan karang hidup konsumsi atau yang lebih dikenal Live Reef Fish Food (LRFF). Ekspor ikan karang hidup selain sebagai salah satu suplai bahan makanan yang cukup besar permintaannya di pasar dunia juga mempunyai harga yang cukup tinggi jika diperdagangkan dalam keadaan hidup (Nababan, 2006). Penangkapan ikan-ikan karang sangat tergantung pada ketersediaan dan daya dukung sumberdaya ikan dan lingkungannya. Lokasi yang telah mengalami gejala tangkap lebih untuk ikan karang, menurut Departemen Kelautan dan Perikanan (2003), meliputi perairan Laut Jawa, Selat Makassar, Laut Flores, Laut Banda, Laut Sulawesi, perairan di selatan Indonesia atau Samudra Hindia, dan di utara atau Samudra Pasifik.

Fish stocks, as common pool resources, are more and more managed by giving fishermen exclusive access rights as Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ). They have been widely discussed with focus on social, economic and ecological issues. While equity aspects have been of great concern, there is a very limited analysis about how to assess issues of equity and fair distribution when introducing ITQs. This paper applies an existing framework for assessing equity in resource use systems to tradable quota systems in fisheries. The framework defines the perspectives of distributive fairness, the stakeholders who are bound by fair practice rules, and instruments of fairness, and identifies metrics to assess equity in practice. We assess if the framework provides practical guidance for evaluating whether a given ITQ system operates under an equitable framework programme.

This review aims at comparing the fisheries management systems existing in New Zealand and in the
European Union. The involvement of stakeholders at all stages of the management process is generally more transparent
and better established in New Zealand than in the EU. Both systems aim at achieving an adequate balance between
sustainability and utilisation and consider the precautionary approach as a founding principle. The social objectives are
probably more explicit in the EU management system. In New Zealand, BMSY is a legal management target for all stocks
in the quota management system (QMS), but management strategies were poorly explicit until most recently. In the EU,
there have not been any legal management targets or strategies until 1999. Since 1999, a number of multi-annual recovery
and management plans have been established, including both management targets and strategies. Both management
systems include conservation and access regulation measures. The EU management measures aim at regulating fisheries
outputs and inputs, and discarding is tolerated. New Zealand management is almost exclusively output-based, and
discarding practices are banned. In the EU, while individual quotas (IQs) are implicit in several countries, there is no
consistent pattern across Member States for allocating TACs. In New Zealand, individual transferable quotas (ITQs)
are implemented, and some flexibility in catch-quota balancing is provided by a carry-over allowance and the payment
of a landing tax, the deemed value, for every fish landed above quota. If rights-based management were introduced
in the EU based on, e.g., the New Zealand model, we suggest that concentration rules be set in accordance with the
social objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy, and also that the deemed value should be set based on science and
economics.

Between 1997 and 2011, fishing cooperatives on the West Coast of the U.S. and Alaska grew to cover almost 60% of U.S. West Coast and Alaska commercial fisheries.  In those fisheries, cooperatives now manage capacity reduction and harvest limit compliance internally, transforming the way harvest limits are met – but not how they are set.  Economic and regulatory incentives, both positive and negative, explain variations in cooperative structures and functions, particularly the level of participation, number of cooperatives within a fishery, and a shift in emphasis over time from internal quota setting and trading to managing non-target prohibited species avoidance.  Ecological limits, which have generally been effective at sustaining fisheries on the Pacific coast, are still exogenous to cooperative management. Coops commonly share information to avoid bycatch, but only coordinate harvests of target species to a very limited degree.  Whether cooperatives evolve from effectively meeting external targets to either participating in the setting of limits (co-management) or moving beyond quota management into revenue sharing and coordinated fishing will depend on whether legal institutions and political objectives also evolve to allow new contractual and institutional arrangements.

"Capture fisheries are constituted through historically specific environmental conditions and social and economic relations of production. Fisheries, whether saltwater or freshwater, are an important source of animal protein, livelihoods and exchange value in international trade, and are presently undergoing rapid socio-ecological change.To explore the political economy
and ecology of capture fisheries around the world, this paper synthesizes the insights of 11 empirical studies and places fisheries in the broader context of the capitalist relations of production through which they operate. The competitive market dynamics of fisheries production and consumption are examined, as well as the forms of social-property relations, social differentiation, labour exploitation and resistance that occur within them. This paper highlights some of the ways in which the unique combination of characteristics associated with fish and fisheries complement and complicate familiar questions in agrarian political economy. It concludes by identifying future research directions."

Seasonal fishery closures, are an input control measure to reduce fishing pressure on spawning stocks in fisheries management. Despite the huge foregone economic losses from such closures, the efficacy of them has yet to be examined in Turkey. This study compares the monthly landed catch distribution for commercial marine species averaged for 12 years (2006-2017) from Istanbul fish market, to catch rates of those species during the spawning seasons. Our results revealed that at first glance, most commercially important fish species examined here have their spawning seasons protected under the Turkish industrial seasonal closure period, especially for small and medium pelagics, as well as some demersals. On the other hand, taxa with winter spawning seasons such as Merlangius merlangus, John dory Zeus faber, brown meagre Sciaena umbra, big-scale sand smelt Atherina boyeri, and bogue Boops boops do not benefit from the commercial fisheries summer closure (>50% of their catch total). Also, some species are still heavily fished (>35% of their catch total) during the closure implying they are mainly targeted by small-scale fisheries (SSF). To help rebuild the commercial fisheries, we recommend the accompaniment of the industrial closure with the use of 'Real Time Closures' (RTCs) applied to all fishing sectors for species highly fished during their spawning periods and spawning habitats.

The tuna fishery is an important sector in Ghana. In 2009, total landing of tuna in Ghana represented about 24% of total catches in the East Atlantic. Canned tuna is Ghana’s most important non-traditional export commodity in terms of foreign exchange earnings. The main focus of this thesis is to analyze the performance of Ghanaian canned tuna export to the EU -27 market. Performance is measured in terms of Ghana’s competitiveness relative to the performance of other exporting countries; namely, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ecuador, Madagascar and Thailand. The competing countries are all leading exporters of canned tuna and were chosen to reflect regional balance and different trading and tariff systems in the EU market. The performance indicators employed for the study are two measures of specialization; the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and the Revealed Symmetry Comparative Advantage (RSCA) and a measure of competitiveness, the Market Share (MS) Index using yearly data from 1999 -2009. To infer competitiveness from the changes in export value over time, a first- level Constant Market Share (CMS) analysis was used to decompose the changes in export value into a structural effect, competitive effect and second-order effect. To augment this technique, an empirical analysis on the determinants of the Ghana’s canned tuna export was conducted using the Armington trade model by OLS regression on monthly data from January 1999 – December 2009, with quantity market share as the dependent variable. The results of the indices of specialization, shows that, Ghana has comparative advantage in the export of canned tuna to the EU -27 throughout the study period. In terms of competitiveness, Ghana’s market share value has declined over the study period. Judging by the operational definition of competitiveness, Ghana has been less competitive. The CMS decomposition of changes in export values indicates that the changes in export value of Ghana can be attributed to structural effect (growth of the market) mainly. The results of the regression analysis indicate that, price ratio, the level of specialization and trade policy effect have statistically significant effect on the quantity market share of Ghana.

Catch and effort, biological and costs and earnings data for red hind were collected from commercial fishing trips and inspections of fish retail and processing facilities in Antigua and Barbuda. The objectives were to: 1) determine important biological parameters (spawning period, size at female maturity, size at sex reversal, length-weight relationships, etc.); 2) determine trends and status of the fishery; 3) assess the financial viability of the most typical fishing unit using net present value (NPV); and 4) appraise the economic impact of a recently established closed season. Mean monthly indices of the weight of the gonad as a percentage of the body weight (gonadosomatic indices, GSIs) indicated a single distinct spawning period spanning from December 1st to March 31st. In terms of status and trends, no significant negative trends were detected for mean size landed or mean catch per unit effort. Positive NPV was generated for a typical pirogue hand-liner, indicating that investment into the unit was a worthwhile venture. A stochastic model of the unit, under condition of targeting an alternative species (yellowtail snapper) during the closed season, did not generate a significantly increase in the probability of a negative return and profits were comparable to those prior to the introduction of the closed season. Based on the theory that under an open access management regime, profits tended to attract excessive effort, resulting in the depletion of resource in the long run, the newly established closed season was consider an essential tool toward ensuring the sustainability of the fishery.

This research provides a comprehensive economic evaluation of the small scale capture fisheries of the islands of Antigua-Barbuda. The financial viability of the most typical vessel-gear combinations was assessed using net present value (NPV). Of the 52 units sampled, 47 generated a positive NPV, indicating that investment in the sector was a worthwhile venture. The economic sustainability of the fisheries was assessed, under conditions of open access and tax-based subsidies, using the Gordon – Schaefer model. Model predictions suggested that the various fisheries were not sustainable under these conditions due to profits attracting excessive effort, resulting in the depletion of resources. A good fit of an exponential trend line to the fishing effort of Barbuda, indicated that fishing effort was rising at increasingly higher rates (the coefficient of determination equals 0.85). The results for Antigua were not consistent with the predictions of the model due to the availability of alternative employment in the tourism and construction industry. A comparison of earnings in the fisheries relative to tourism and construction supported the hypothesis as well as indirect evidence on the age structure of fishers. Finally, risk analysis of fishing units using stochastic models indicated that in general there was less than a 20% chance of a negative return.

We evaluated alternative management strategies for the Otago and Southland rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) fisheries in New Zealand. We compare a number of  decision-rule-based management strategies and assess amalgamation of the two separate quota management areas that currently comprise the fishery. The analysis combines a spatial sex- and length-structured simulation model of the fishery with an economic module that converts catches and effort into revenues and costs. We compare performance of alternative management strategies using a variety of  biological and economic performance indicators relevant to a range of management objectives identified by stakeholders. The results demonstrate the importance of modelling economic performance, since the relative performance of different management strategies differ when considering catch versus net revenues. The analysis also reveals important  distributional issues, since some strategies that increase the overall value of the fishery create both winners and losers.

This research aims to identify problems and indicators as the foreground for arranging development pattern for aquaculture business, to recommend direction and target for regional government’s policies in anticipating the development of aquaculture business as a potential that needs integrated management, and also to recommend possible core business to be expanded. Data are collected from general condition in the location, spatial utilization pattern (land/waters), human population, intraregional and interregional movement of goods and services, identification of aqua-cultural core business potentials, market identification and analysis, intraregional and interregional local market, investment opportunities, sociocultural condition including institutional, business pattern, consumption, income per capita, transportation system, number and distribution of facilities and infrastructures, as well as internal aquacultural facilities.  The methods used for data collecting include surveys and interviews related to the core business planning for aquaculture in Indramayu. The data are then analyzed using Space Factor application intended to map business optimalization by identifying the condition, position, or problems in business (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to formulate the next strategies. SWOT Analysis is used as the tool and results in catfish farming places in IFAS point (3.01) and EFAS (3.03) while vannamei shrimp farming places in IFAS (3.43) and EFAS (2.80) indicating that those farmings may be potentials in overcoming weaknesses and obstacles in the future. Core business strategy planning is composed using matrix space. Though vulnerable to various threats, aquaculture businesses still have strengths in internal scope. The suggested strategy for this is to use strength in using long-term opportunities by implementing diversification (for products or markets). Vannamei shrimp farming falls into this category. It is also suggested for the business to minimize company’s internal problems in order to seize better marketing opportunities. Catfish farming falls into this category.

We review the literature on coalition games applied in fisheries economics. We first indicate the importance and origin of the theory. Then we compare non- cooperative and cooperative coalition game approaches. Our conclusion is that the non-cooperative and the cooperative approach should be linked together. To achieve this aim future research on stability of cooperative solutions and factors influencing stability

Understanding a species life history is fundamental for managing and conserving a population. Despite the importance of this type of information, research attention is often directed at species with the highest economic value. This funding approach is problematic for preserving diversity and rarely considers ecological systematic functions; it prevents resource agencies from allocating funds for studying lower-valued species. For example, the ladyfish (Elops saurus) is a valuable commercial and recreational species in Florida, but in comparison to tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and bonefish (Albula vulpes), ladyfish have received less funding and research attention. To date, comparably little biological information and no recent reviews are available for ladyfish; research interest is almost non-existent. First, a new review of ladyfish information is provided, and second, statistical evidence is presented and discussed that suggests that there is more published information for tarpon and bonefish than ladyfish because their socio-ecological values are greater. This study’s findings confirm that there are significantly more published articles on tarpon than ladyfish, and the number of articles on ladyfish has declined with time.
The number of articles on tarpon and bonefish were positively correlated with time, while the number of articles on ladyfish
was negatively correlated with time. Natural resource management is shifting from a sustainable yield to a sustainable ecosystem perspective. Given this shift in management approach, successful ecosystem management requires substantial biological information on a variety of species within a given system, regardless of their socio-economic status. It is important to understand that although some species have been ranked higher than others, in terms of economic importance, ecosystems are functioning systems that do not discriminate or have any jurisdictional boundaries.

Central to any other economic activity in production is the issue of efficiency. This paper employed the stochastic frontier production function to analyse the technical efficiency of 232 randomly selected artisanal fishermen in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The result shows that 96.7% of contract, 60.66% of the former contract, 26.25% of the non-contract and 94.8% of all fishers were 90% technology efficient; minimum efficiency were 0.82, 0.53, 0.71 and 0.86 respectively while the maximum and mean efficiency was 0.99 and 0.98 for all the categorised fishermen.

The relationship between the instantaneous mortality rate (Z) and the instantaneous change in length-frequency distribution of organisms per unit of animal size (μL) takes the following form: Z = μLk(L∞ − L) + k, where k and L∞ are coefficients of the von Bertalanffy equation, and L is organism size (length). Z and μL change coherently when they are measured for a specific size or age class. Therefore, observations of μL can provide information on the relative changes in mortality. This is useful when no precise information about animal growth is available and growth curve is assumed to be invariable.
  This method was tested on a heavily exploited population of mango tilapia (St Peter's fish) Sarotherodon galilaeus in Lake Kinneret. Fishing mortality was a major factor controlling the size and age distributions of the tilapia in the lake. The large increase in fish mortality between 1998 and 2002 and a concurrent decline in fish catches indicate intense overfishing. The overfishing was triggered by the decline in water level in the lake, as the low water level resulted in an elimination of the main sheltered spawning areas for tilapias, exposing spawning adults to fishermen. The reduction of the catches of S. galilaeus prompted fishermen to increase fishing efforts in subsequent years. Over the past few years fishermen used progressively smaller mesh sizes in their nets to compensate for the reduction in catch and maintain income level. Such uncontrolled fishery led to continuous depletion of standing stock and annual catches of tilapias.
  Analysis of the changes in the length-frequency distributions showed that the changes in μL over multiple years estimated for fully exploited fish reflected the respective changes in Z.

... Figure 1 illustrates the complications dif-ferential skills provide for fishery regulation. Panel (a) of the figure shows the effort supply curves for two distinct categories of fisher-men: Good fishermen S and less productive fishermen S. Fishermen in each category are identical, and ...

Two species of grey mullets, Liza ramada and Mugil cephalus, are annually introduced in Lake Kinneret (Israel). Both species do not reproduce in the lake. Growth rate of M. cephalus is notably faster than growth rate of L. ramada. Analysis of introduction and commercial catch statistics showed that 27-28% of introduced fish of each species are landed. This information allowed calculating the average specific natural mortality rate (M, year^-1) of both species over the period between their introduction and landing. For L. ramada the M  was -0.39 year^-1 and for M. cephalus the M  was -0.30 year^-1. Computation of economic efficiency of fish introduction, which took into account the species specific growth rate, age structure in catches and market price, showed that M. cephalus has notably greater outcome per similar number of introduced larvae than L. ramada. Potential ecological role of grey mullets in the lake is discussed.