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Updated: Mar 24, 2026
09:32
Development of New Methods for Quantifying Fish Density Using Underwater Stereo-video Tools
Published on: November 20, 2017
9.9K
High-seas fish wars generate marine reserves.
Guillermo E Herrera1, Holly V Moeller2, Michael G Neubert3
1Economics Department, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011-8497;
Summary
Marine reserves can be part of fishery management when multiple fishers act in self-interest. As the number of fishers increases, reserve size may grow, but fish stocks and economic returns decline.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Fisheries Science
- Game Theory
- Environmental Economics
Background:
- Effective marine fisheries management faces challenges at the intersection of biology, economics, and policy.
- Marine reserves, areas closed to fishing, can protect fish stocks and habitats.
- Implementing marine reserves becomes complex with multiple, noncooperating fishers, especially on the high seas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model and compare fishing effort distributions among multiple noncooperating harvesters.
- To analyze the role and characteristics of marine reserves in noncooperative fishery management.
- To evaluate the impact of harvester numbers on economic rent, stock size, and fishing effort.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a game theoretic model to simulate fisher behavior.
- Compared noncooperative Cournot-Nash equilibria with sole owner and open access scenarios.
- Analyzed the occurrence, size, and location of marine reserves under different management conditions.
Main Results:
- Marine reserves emerge as a component within many noncooperative Cournot-Nash equilibria.
- Increasing the number of harvesters can lead to larger total unfished areas.
- Total economic rents and fish stock sizes decline as the number of harvesters increases.
Conclusions:
- Marine reserves can be a feature of noncooperative fishery management, even with self-interested actors.
- The number of fishers significantly impacts the effectiveness and outcomes of marine reserve implementation.
- Fisheries management strategies must account for noncooperative behavior to optimize conservation and economic outcomes.
Keywords:
fisheries managementgame theorymarine protected areasmarine reservesspatial bioeconomic modelMore Related Videos
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