Bycatch Management and the Economics of Discarding


Book Description

The increase in commercial fisheries production over the last 50 years has been accompanied by an increase in the level of incidental catch and discarding of a number of species. Approximately one quarter of the marine commercial catch destined for human consumption is discarded at sea. This has raised the concern of a number of groups in society, including environmentalists, humanitarians and fishers themselves. In this paper, the economic incentives to discard fish are examined. The effects of different managemenet policies on these incentives are also investigated. The concept of an optimal level of discarding is discussed taking into account the externalities that can be created by discarding. Finally, the effectiveness of various measures to reduce the level of discarding is reviewed. these including technical, administrative and economic measures.




Bycatch Management and the Economics of Discarding


Book Description

The increase in commercial fisheries production over the last 50 years has been accompanied by an increase in the level of incidental catch and discarding of a number of speices. Approximately one-quarter of the marine commercial catch destined for human consumption is discarded at sea. This has aroused the concern of a number of groups in society, including environmentalists, humanitarians and fisheries themselves. This paper examines the economic incentives to discard fish as well as the effects of different management policies on these incentives. The concept of an optimal level of discarding of discussed taking into account the externalities that can be created by discarding. Finally, the paper reviews the effectiveness of various measures technical, administrative and economic to reduce the level of discarding. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Bycatch and discarding-an overview of the problem; Definitions and concepts, Bycatch and discards, Target and bycatch species, Size and sex considerations, Other bycatch/discarding, Fate of targeted and incidental catch, Magnitude of discarding, Discards by fishing method and region, Marine mammals, turtles and seabirds, Impacts of discards, Environmental impacts of discarding, Economic impacts of discarding, Chapter summary; Chapter 3: Fisheries Management and the Economic of Discarding; Bycatch and technical interaction in an unregulated fishery, Discarding of commercial species in an unregulated multispecies fishery, Price related highgrading, Capacity related highgrading, Input controls, Limited entry, Minimum landing sizes and minimum mesh sizes, Area and seasonal closures, Restrictions on days at sea and other inputs, Output controls, Trip limits, Aggregate quota, Individual transferable quotas, Chapter summary; Chapter 4: Optimal Discarding and Externalities; Externalities and discarding, Economically optimal levels of discarding, Estimation of the optimal level of discarding, Two species fishery with non-commercial bycatch, Two fisheries with different target species, Discards of juvenile target species and gear selectivity, Chapter summary; Chapter 5: Management Measures to Reduce Discarding; Technical measures, Gear selectivity, Area and seasonal closures, Increased bycatch utilisation, Administrative measure, Quota trading, Fixed quota package, Size specific quotas, Permissible quota over-runs, Recording catch against another s quota, Compulsory landing of all catch, Voluntary surrender of over-quota catch, Economic measures, Taxes and subsidies, Deemed values, Quota substitution, Value based ITQs, Effort reductions, Chapter summary; Chapter 6: Conclusion.




Discards in the World's Marine Fisheries


Book Description

This publication gives an updated review of the quantity of discards in the world's marine fisheries, using information from a broad range of fisheries in all continents. A number of policy issues are discussed including a 'no discards' approach to fisheries management, the need for balance between bycatch reduction and bycatch utilisation initiatives, and concerns arising from incidental catches of marine mammals, birds and reptiles. The report also highlights the need for more robust methods of estimating discards, and the development of bycatch management plans.







The European Landing Obligation


Book Description

This open access book provides a comprehensive examination of the European Landing Obligation policy from many relevant perspectives. It includes evaluations of its impacts at economical, socio-cultural, ecological and institutional levels. It also discusses the feasibility and benefits of several potential mitigation strategies. The book was timely published, exactly at the time where the Landing Obligation was planned to be fully implemented. This book is of significant interest to all stakeholders involved, but also to the general public of Europe and to other jurisdictions throughout the world that are also searching for ways to deal with by-catch and discard issues.




Encyclopedia of Energy, Natural Resource, and Environmental Economics


Book Description

Every decision about energy involves its price and cost. The price of gasoline and the cost of buying from foreign producers; the price of nuclear and hydroelectricity and the costs to our ecosystems; the price of electricity from coal-fired plants and the cost to the atmosphere. Giving life to inventions, lifestyle changes, geopolitical shifts, and things in-between, energy economics is of high interest to Academia, Corporations and Governments. For economists, energy economics is one of three subdisciplines which, taken together, compose an economic approach to the exploitation and preservation of natural resources: energy economics, which focuses on energy-related subjects such as renewable energy, hydropower, nuclear power, and the political economy of energy resource economics, which covers subjects in land and water use, such as mining, fisheries, agriculture, and forests environmental economics, which takes a broader view of natural resources through economic concepts such as risk, valuation, regulation, and distribution Although the three are closely related, they are not often presented as an integrated whole. This Encyclopedia has done just that by unifying these fields into a high-quality and unique overview. The only reference work that codifies the relationships among the three subdisciplines: energy economics, resource economics and environmental economics. Understanding these relationships just became simpler! Nobel Prize Winning Editor-in-Chief (joint recipient 2007 Peace Prize), Jason Shogren, has demonstrated excellent team work again, by coordinating and steering his Editorial Board to produce a cohesive work that guides the user seamlessly through the diverse topics This work contains in equal parts information from and about business, academic, and government perspectives and is intended to serve as a tool for unifying and systematizing research and analysis in business, universities, and government




Mortality of Fish Escaping Trawl Gears


Book Description

Progress has been made in reducing bycatch and discards through improving the selectivity of fishing gear. This publication examines the key factors affecting the stress, injury and mortality of fish arising from fishing processes, particularly when fish escape from trawl equipment. It seeks to identify improved methodological approaches and practices, and to consider the design of fishing gears and operations that reduce or eliminate such deaths, and to assess the problems associated with estimating the impact of unaccounted fish mortality.




Fisheries and Aquaculture - Volume II


Book Description

Fisheries and Aquaculture theme is a component of Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Fisheries are a major life support system and the main purpose of this theme on Fisheries and Aquaculture is to provide baseline information and latest knowledge at the dawn of this century to facilitate vital fisheries recovery before their irreparable collapse. This Theme on Fisheries and Aquaculture is divided into five topics. It starts with discussions on major issues and challenges in “Harvesting the Seas”, with emphasis on the role and importance of the fisheries sector and its environment, and introduces trends and perspectives in marine fisheries, including allocation of use rights, subsidies, and port management. The next two topics present an in-depth and detailed knowledge on fish and other aquatic living resources that are commercially exploited and/or farmed. The third topic on Inland Fisheries presents salmonid fish, eels, shad, whitefish and smelt, carp, perch, pike and bass, tilapia, frog, and crustaceans. The fourth topic presents a comprehensive review of trends and perspectives in Aquaculture: Principles and Prospects. The fifth topic on Economics of Fisheries and Aquaculture reviews the latest views and concepts useful to apprehend the fisheries management regime, including a comparative static economic theory and a dynamic theory of fishery, spatial bioeconomic dynamics and role of international law in the management of marine fisheries, rights-based and community fisheries management, aquaculture economics, and game theory and fisheries. These five volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers, NGOs and GOs.