Fabienne Daures

A bioeconomic analysis of the impact of decommissioning programs: Application to a limited-entry french scallop fishery

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 fishermens 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.

Capacity and Scale Inefficiency: Application of Data Envelopment Analysis in the Case of the French Seaweed Fleet

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models are applied to the main French seaweed fleet to examine capacity output, capacity utilization, and scale inefficiency. Coastal seaweed vessels target only one output—kelp—with the same gear but with different input level combinations. The fishery is seasonal and subject mainly to input regulations, especially a one trip per day regulation implemented in 1987. The consequence was a decline in total observed output and a fall in capacity output and efficient output. Only the largest vessels and a few small vessels harvesting without this regulatory constraint operate at the optimal scale. The question of a change in regulation, especially a shift to an individual quota system, is raised.

Interannual Variability of Fisheries Economic Returns and Energy Ratios Is Mostly Explained by Gear Type

According to portfolio theory applied to fisheries management, economic returns are stabilised by harvesting in a portfolio stocks of species whose returns are negatively correlated and for which the portfolio economic return variance is smaller than the sum of stock specific return variances. Also, variability is expected to decrease with portfolio width. Using a range of indicators, these predictions were tested for the French fishing fleets in the Bay of Biscay (Northeast Atlantic) during the period 2001–2009. For this, vessels were grouped into eight fishing fleets based on the gears used and exploited species were grouped into five functional groups. The portfolio width of fleets ranged from 1–3 functional groups, or 4–19 species. Economic fleet returns (sale revenues minus fishing costs) varied strongly between years; the interannual variability was independent of portfolio width (species or functional groups). Energy ratio expressed by the ratio between fuel energy used for fishing and energy contained in landings varied from 0.3 for purse seines to 9.7 for trawlers using bottom trawls alone or in combination with pelagic trawls independent of portfolio width. Interannual variability in total sale revenues was larger than the sum of species specific sales revenue variability, except for fleets using hooks and pelagic trawlers; it increased with the number of species exploited. In conclusion, the interannual variability of economic returns or energy ratios of French fisheries in the Bay of Biscay did not decrease with the number of species or functional groups exploited, though it varied between fleets.

29th Plenary Meeting Report of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (Plen-08-03)

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries hold its 29 plenary on 3-7 November 2008 in Brussels. The terms of reference included both issues assessments of STECF working group reports and additional requests submitted to the STECF by the Commission. Topics dealt with ranged from fisheries economics to stock review issues. How to obtain EU publications Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice. The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national. A A B B XXXXLC