Search

Search Results

• 1. [Article] Fishermen, Markets, and Population Diversity

  Fishing impacts biodiversity on multiple levels, potentially resulting in unintended feedbacks to economic performance of the fishery over time. For example, targeting observable traits within a population ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Fishermen, Markets, and Population Diversity Author: Sanchirico, James N., Jardine, Sunny Fishing impacts biodiversity on multiple levels, potentially resulting in unintended feedbacks to economic performance of the fishery over time. For example, targeting observable traits within a population can impact genetic diversity, targeting populations within a species can impact population diversity, and targeting valuable species can impact biodiversity at the ecosystem level. The natural science and economics literatures, however, have given little attention to the impact of fishing on population diversity, even though population diversity is directly linked ecosystem services and estimates of population extinction rates are three orders of magnitude higher than species extinction rates. Here we develop a stochastic bioeconomic model that links the harvest of multiple salmon populations by a single commercial fishery to the trajectory of population diversity in a salmon stock complex. We parameterize our model with biological and economic data from the Copper River Chinook salmon fishery. We show that markets can incentivize the degradation of population diversity, reducing infra-marginal fishery rents and increase the variability in financial returns to the fishery. Factors impacting the magnitude of our results include the level and distribution of harvesting efficiency and market conditions. We also show that second-best management can conserve population diversity and improve welfare. Furthermore, depending fishermen’s time preferences, this management strategy is potentially self-financing. Title: Fishermen, Markets, and Population Diversity Author: Sanchirico, James N., Jardine, Sunny Fishing impacts biodiversity on multiple levels, potentially resulting in unintended feedbacks to economic performance of the fishery over time. For example, targeting observable traits within a population can impact genetic diversity, targeting populations within a species can impact population diversity, and targeting valuable species can impact biodiversity at the ecosystem level. The natural science and economics literatures, however, have given little attention to the impact of fishing on population diversity, even though population diversity is directly linked ecosystem services and estimates of population extinction rates are three orders of magnitude higher than species extinction rates. Here we develop a stochastic bioeconomic model that links the harvest of multiple salmon populations by a single commercial fishery to the trajectory of population diversity in a salmon stock complex. We parameterize our model with biological and economic data from the Copper River Chinook salmon fishery. We show that markets can incentivize the degradation of population diversity, reducing infra-marginal fishery rents and increase the variability in financial returns to the fishery. Factors impacting the magnitude of our results include the level and distribution of harvesting efficiency and market conditions. We also show that second-best management can conserve population diversity and improve welfare. Furthermore, depending fishermen’s time preferences, this management strategy is potentially self-financing. Close