Conference Proceedings Or Journal
 

The Economic Repercussions of Fisheries-induced Evolution

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/conference_proceedings_or_journals/2f75rd53p

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Human-induced changes in life-history traits have been observed for many harvested populations, with a component of those changes being attributed to an evolutionary (i.e., genetic) response. Most notably, fish stocks that experience high fishing mortality show a tendency to mature earlier and at a smaller size. Some have suggested that fisheries-induced evolution could affect the fishery’s yield and therefore have economic repercussions for society. Yet, this has not been formally investigated. We use data from 1932 to 2005 to develop a bio-economic model specifically for Northeast Arctic cod that allows us to compare the economic yield in scenarios with and without evolution of key life-history traits. We also compare a “business as usual” scenario where fishing continues at its current pace, with a scenario in which harvest is controlled through an optimal control rule. Our model predicts that fisheries-induced evolution decreases economic yield if fishing mortality rates continue at their current high levels. We also find that maximum economic yield is achieved at a considerably lower fishing mortality than what the stock has historically experienced. At this lower mortality, fisheries-induced evolution is less pronounced and actually increases the spawning stock biomass and economic yield. Overall, we find that evolutionary and non-evolutionary models recommend similar harvesting rates and the overriding message is that higher economic yield can be obtained by lower harvest rates irrespective of whether evolution occurs or not.
Resource Type
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Eikeset, A.M. et al. The Economic Repercussions of Fisheries-induced Evolution. In: Visible Possibilities: The Economics of Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture and Seafood Trade: Proceedings of the Sixteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 16-20, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Edited by Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2012.
Conference Name
Keyword
Subject
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • AQUAFISH, USAID, NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency, Norad, The World Bank, Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, NAAFE, World Wildlife Fund, United Nations University Fisheries Training Programme, ICEIDA, JICA, JIFRS, The European Association of Fisheries Economists, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

In Collection:

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details Richter-161.pdf 2017-11-01 Public Download