Weninger, Quinn; Perruso, Larry

WP #13003, January 2013

We present a model of fishing behavior that incorporates: (1) a spatially and temporally heterogenous stock abundance across multiple species, and (2) costly targeting of individual species under a weak output disposability harvest technology. We characterize fishing behavior under species-specific regulations including time-area-depth regulations and tradable harvest permits. Our model yields a system of Kuhn-Tucker necessary conditions which we estimate with data from the Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery. The reef fish multi-output harvest technology exhibits spatially, temporally and depth-varying targeting costs, and local weak output disposability, linked to ecologically complex stock conditions in the fishery. The model predicts harvests, discards and fishing profit across multiple species, and continuous space, time and depth. We present policy simulations to identify behavioral responses to closure regulations, introduction of quota management and recent sea turtle bycatch management rules in the reef fish fishery. Our approach overcomes several limitations of currently used spatial fishing models, and offers a powerful tool for designing regulations in multi-species fisheries.

JEL Classification: Q2

Keywords: Spatial temporal fishing behavior, multiples-species, targeting costs, regulations

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