Andrew M. Scheld

The Economic Effects of Catch Share Management: The Rhode Island Fluke Sector Pilot Program

Abstract In 2009, Rhode Island implemented a pilot catch share program around summer flounder, or fluke, a state-managed species that is jointly harvested with the Northeast Multispecies groundfish complex. A sector was given a fluke allocation to land when they wished, while the rest of the fleet was managed through sub-seasonal total harvest caps and daily trip limits. Sector members avoided fluke landings during seasonal fluke derbies, instead shifting landings to post-derby closures in the general fishery, when the price was higher. However, they also affected prices of species they targeted instead. We combine predictions of counterfactual 2009 daily landings by sector vessels with a panel model of trip-level ex-vessel prices for 25 products targeted by the groundfish fleet to project what revenues would have been in the absence of the sector program. We find the pilot program increased fleetwide revenues by over

The Dilemma of Derelict Gear

800,000, including benefits of over

An Analysis of Fishing Selectivity for Northeast US Multispecies Bottom Trawlers

250,000 to non-sector vessels. JEL Classification Codes: Q22, Q58

Market effects of catch share management: the case of New England multispecies groundfish

Every year, millions of pots and traps are lost in crustacean fisheries around the world. Derelict fishing gear has been found to produce several harmful environmental and ecological effects, however socioeconomic consequences have been investigated less frequently. We analyze the economic effects of a substantial derelict pot removal program in the largest estuary of the United States, the Chesapeake Bay. By combining spatially resolved data on derelict pot removals with commercial blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) harvests and effort, we show that removing 34,408 derelict pots led to significant gains in gear efficiency and an additional 13,504 MT in harvest valued at US

Comparative analysis of factors influencing spatial distributions of marine protected areas and territorial use rights for fisheries in Japan

21.3 million—a 27% increase above that which would have occurred without removals. Model results are extended to a global analysis where it is seen that US

Selective fishing and shifting production in multispecies fisheries

831 million in landings could be recovered annually by removing less than 10% of the derelict pots and traps from major crustacean fisheries. An unfortunate common pool externality, the degradation of marine environments is detrimental not only to marine organisms and biota, but also to those individuals and communities whose livelihoods and culture depend on profitable and sustainable marine resource use.

Performance of a low-cost, solar-powered pop-up satellite archival tag for assessing post-release mortality of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) caught in the US east coast light-tackle recreational fishery

Observed production sets in multispecies fisheries are affected by regulatory incentives influencing spatiotemporal fishing decisions. Rights-based output controls can promote selective fishing; however, this ability may be limited and insufficient in achieving full utilization of catch quotas. We measure fishing selectivity for bottom trawlers catching federally regulated groundfish in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank before and after the introduction of rights-based output controls. Directional distance functions are applied to tow-level catch data collected by fishery observers to construct a measure of selectivity equal to the difference between strong and weak output disposal efficient production frontiers. Quantile regressions are then used to estimate the change in median selectivity associated with the introduction of catch share management, controlling for spatial, temporal, and individual factors. A significant improvement in selectivity was found for tows in Georges Bank following the 2010 management change, though production is still largely characterized by imperfect selectivity.