Optimal harvesting of a Gompertz population model with a marine protected area and interval‐value biological parameters

To protect fishery populations on the verge of extinction and sustain the biodiversity of the marine ecosystem, marine protected areas (MPA) are established to provide a refuge for fishery resource. However, the influence of current harvesting policies on the MPA is still unclear, and precise information of the biological parameters has yet to be conducted. In this paper, we consider a bioeconomic Gompertz population model with interval‐value biological parameters in a 2‐patch environment: a free fishing zone (open‐access) and a protected zone (MPA) where fishing is strictly prohibited. First, the existence of the equilibrium is proved, and by virtue of Bendixson‐dulac Theorem, the global stability of the nontrivial steady state is obtained. Then, the optimal harvesting policy is established by using Pontryagin's maximum principle. Finally, the results are illustrated with the help of some numerical examples. Our results show that the current harvesting policy is advantageous to the protection efficiency of an MPA on local fish populations.     

政府投资环保的随机增长模型

本文分析了一个带有污染的随机内生增长模型.利用随机最优化的方法,求出了最优的政府环保投资比率和最优的税收政策.并进一步得出了最优的收入税因污染的外部性指标、生产的扰动的增大而减少;而最优消费税则因这两个参数的增大而增加的结论.     

THE PROBLEM OF NONMALLEABLE CAPITAL REVISITED; A STUDY OF THE PACIFIC HALIBUT FISHERY

It has been suggested in the literature on commercial fisheries that fishing capital may be nonmalleable, i.e., not easily moved from one fleet to another, and that the socially optimal rate of capitalization of boats may depend on the degree of malleability (irreversibility) of the fishing fleet. To find out how irreversibility affects optimal regulation, two of the many possible regulatory tools, unallocated quotas and catch taxes, are examined. These optimal policies are derived, alternatively assuming malleable and nonmalleable fishing capital. Using a simulation of the Pacific halibut fishery, the results obtainable through catch quotas are shown to be inferior to those obtainable through taxes, but that the degree of malleability of capital has a surprisingly small impact on policy. A sensitivity analysis is performed, rerunning these simulations over a variety of parameter values. The previous results are largely borne out.     

个体投资治理污染的随机增长模型

本文研究了个体投资治理污染的随机增长模型.利用随机最优化的方法,得出了随机扰动、个体环保投资及环保技术对福利和经济增长的影响.对我国制定环保政策具有一定的积极作用.     

Optimal harvesting policy of an inland fishery resource under incomplete information

A new mathematical model for finding the optimal harvesting policy of an inland fishery resource under incomplete information is proposed in this paper. The model is based on a stochastic control formalism in a regime‐switching environment. The incompleteness of information is due to uncertainties involved in the body growth rate of the fishery resource: a key biological parameter. Finding the most cost‐effective harvesting policy of the fishery resource ultimately reduces to solving a terminal and boundary value problem of a Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equation: a nonlinear and degenerate parabolic partial differential equation. A simple finite difference scheme for solving the equation is then presented, which turns out to be convergent and generates numerical solutions that comply with certain theoretical upper and lower bounds. The model is finally applied to the management of Plecoglossus altivelis, a major inland fishery resource in Japan. The regime switching in this case is due to the temporal dynamics of benthic algae, the main food of the fish. Model parameter values are identified from field measurement results in 2017. Our computational results clearly show the dependence of the optimal harvesting policy on the river environmental and biological conditions. The proposed model would serve as a mathematical tool for fishery resource management under uncertainties.     

基于食饵保护的食饵-捕食捕鱼模型分析(英文)

In this paper,we consider a prey-predator fishery model with prey dispersal in a two-patch environment,one is assumed to be a free fishing zone and the other is a reserved zone where fishing and other extractive activities are prohibited.The existence of possible steady states of the system is discussed.The local and global stability analysis has been carried out.An optimal harvesting policy is given using Pontryagin s maximum principle.     

AN INDICATOR FOR ECOSYSTEM EXTERNALITIES IN FISHING

Ecosystem externalities arise when one use of an ecosystem affects its other uses through the production functions of the ecosystem. We use simulations with a size‐spectrum ecosystem model to investigate the ecosystem externality created by fishing of multiple species. The model is based upon general ecological principles and is calibrated to the North Sea. Two fleets are considered: a “forage fish” fleet targeting species that mature at small sizes and a “large fish” fleet targeting large piscivorous species. Based on the marginal analysis of the present value of the rent, we develop a benefit indicator that explicitly divides the consequences of fishing into internal and external benefits. This analysis demonstrates that the forage fish fleet has a notable economic impact on the large fish fleet, but the reverse is not true. The impact can be either negative or positive, which entails that for optimal economic exploitation, the forage fishery has to be adjusted according to the large fish fishery. With the present large fish fishery in the North Sea, the two fisheries are well adjusted; however, the present combined exploitation level is too high to achieve optimal economic rents.     

Dynamic Harvesting Under Imperfect Catch Control

We analyze the optimal harvesting rule of a monopolist in a managed single-species fishery environment where we allow the fishery control to be imperfect. The monopolist’s control action consists of legal and illegal actions. Illegal actions might be detected at random times, in which case the monopolist is subject to a deterrence scheme in line with the Common Fishery Policy implemented by the European Union. We show that the introduction of the management policy, together with the inability of the regulator to perfectly monitor fishing activities, creates an incentive to harvest not only beyond the allowed quota, but also beyond the harvest in an unregulated but otherwise equal situation. This effect is particularly pronounced at lower levels of the legal quota. We also show that, if the monopolist is sufficiently impatient, over-harvesting with severe depletion of the resource might even occur under a reinforced deterrence scheme that considers the permanent withdrawal of the fishing license.     

OPTIMAL HARVESTING OF FISH POPULATIONS WITH NON-STATIONARY STOCK-RECRUITMENT RELATIONSHIPS

Optimal harvesting policies are commonly derived by assuming a time-invariant relationship between some productivity measure and the resource variable under control. Yet, long-term trends in the environment appear to induce persistent changes in spawning success in several fish stocks. I show that when predictable trends in environmental effects are incorporated into stock-recruitment models, optimal policies respond to changing environmental conditions in a way that depends very much on the management objective. When the goal is to maximize expected discounted yield, resulting risk-neutral policies computed for a model of a cyclic iteroparous population respond by continuously adjusting optimal spawning targets in phase with the environmental cycle: escapements are raised when favorable conditions are anticipated and they are lowered when poor environments are expected. These feedback responses reinforce recruitment fluctuations and lead to a sequence of boom and bust periods in the fishery. Policies shift diametrically when a risk-averse objective is pursued such as maximization of the expected sum of discounted logarithms of catches. Optimal escapements closely parallel fluctuations in population abundance, with harvest rates and catches much less variable than in the risk-neutral policy. Harvest rates respond in a compensatory way to changes in population abundance, anticipated environmental conditions, and expected strength of incoming year-classes. Depending on the specific model used, a constant harvest rate strategy may perform nearly as well as the optimal. Analytical results are provided that characterize risk-neutral optimal policies for stochastic delay-difference population models. Results show that knowledge of current environmental conditions can be used to construct harvest policies which are nearly as good as those “optimal” ones based on long-term environmental forecasts.     

A prey-predator model with harvesting for fishery resource with reserve area

Considering that over exploitation would result in the extinction of the population, we propose and investigate a Holling II functional response prey-predator model with harvesting for fishery resource in a two-patch environment: a free fishing zone (patch 1) and a reserve zone (patch 2) where fishing is strictly prohibited. First, the presence of harvesting can impact the existence of equilibria. Further, stability criteria of the model is analyzed both from local and global point of view. Our results indicate that so long as the prey population in the reserved zone does not extinct, the both prey always exist, that is marine reserves should ensure the sustainability of system. Thus, marine reserves not only protect species inside the reserve area but they can also increase fish abundance in adjacent areas. Next, the existence of bionomic equilibrium and the optimal harvesting policy are discussed. The present value of revenues is maximized by using Pontryagin’s maximum principle. It is established that an infinite discount rate leads to complete dissipation of economic rent. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to illustrate our results.     

Influence of prey reserve in a prey–predator fishery

The excessive and unsustainable exploitation of marine resources has to led to the promotion of marine reserve as a fisheries management tool. In this paper we study a prey–predator system in a two-patch environment: one accessible to both prey and predators (patch 1) and the other one being a refuge for the prey (patch 2). The prey refuge (patch 2) constitutes a reserve zone of prey and fishing is not permitted, while the unreserved zone area is an open-access fishery zone. The existence of possible steady states, along with their local and global stability, is discussed. We then examine the possibilities of the existence of bionomic equilibrium. An optimal harvesting policy is given using Pontryagin’s maximum principle.     

MODELING A RIGHTS‐BASED APPROACH FOR MANAGING HABITAT IMPACTS OF FISHERIES

ABSTRACT. Limiting adverse consequences of fishing on essential fish habitat has emerged as a key fishery management objective. The conventional approach to providing habitat protection is to create MPAs or marine reserves that prohibit all or certain types of fishing in specific areas. However, there may be more cost‐effective and flexible ways to provide habitat protection. We propose an individual habitat quota (IHQ) system for habitat conservation that would utilize economic incentives to achieve habitat conservation goals cost‐effectively. Individual quotas of habitat impact units (HIU) would be distributed to fishers with an aggregate quota set to maintain a target habitat “stock.” HIU use would be based on a proxy for marginal habitat damage. We use a dynamic, explicitly spatial fishery and habitat simulation model to explore how such a system might work. We examine how outcomes are affected by spatial heterogeneity in the fishery and the scale of habitat regulation. We find that the IHQ system is a highly cost‐effective means of ensuring a given level of habitat protection, but that spatial heterogeneity and the scale of regulation can have significant effects on the distribution of habitat protection.     

Dynamics of a fishery system in a patchy environment with nonlinear harvesting

In this paper, a stock‐effort dynamical model with two fishing zones is discussed. The nonlinear harvesting function is assumed depending upon stock size as well as fishing effort. The migration of fish is considered between two zones. The harvesting vessels also move between zones to increase their revenue. The movements of fish and fishing vessels between zones are assumed to take place at a faster time scale as compared with processes involving growth and harvesting occurring at a slow time scale. The aggregated model is obtained for total fish stock and fishing effort. This aggregated (reduced) model is analyzed analytically as well as numerically. Biological and bionomic equilibria of the system are obtained, and criteria for local stability or instability of the system are derived. The impact of levels of taxation T on the fish population and on the revenue earned by the fishery is investigated. An optimal harvesting policy is also discussed using the Pontryagin's maximum principle. The aggregated model also exhibits Hopf and transcritical bifurcation with respect to the bifurcation parameter tax T. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the results.     

Regulation of a prey-predator fishery by taxation

Bioeconomic exploitation of a prey-predator fishery is discussed by using a reasonable catch-rate function instead of the usual 'catch-per-unit-effort hypothesis'. The model is based on the assumption that only the prey species is harvested. A regulatory agency controls exploitation of the fishery by imposing a tax per unit biomass of the landed fish. The fishing effort is taken as a dynamic variable depending on the capital invested in the fishery. The dynamical system consisting of the growth equations of the species and also the fishing effort is formulated. The existence and stability of steady states are discussed. The optimal tax policy is studied with the help of Pontryagin's maximum principle. Finally, some numerical examples are carried out to illustrate the results of the model.     

阶段结构远海-近海渔业模型的稳定性及最优收获

§ 1　IntroductionAlong with the development of science and technology,the capacity and output offishing have increased.For example,in China,traditional and backward manual tools areused and the inshore coastlines are limited for fishing,but now gradual improvements inthe technical efficiency of fishing gear and vessels have radically changed the fishing sce-nario.With the advent of sophisticated fishing instruments,the fishing scope has been ex-panded from inshore area to offshore area.As a …     

SUSTAINABLE YIELDS IN FISHERIES: UNCERTAINTY,RISK‐AVERSION,AND MEAN‐VARIANCE ANALYSIS

Abstract We consider a model of a fishery in which the dynamics of the unharvested fish population are given by the stochastic logistic growth equation Similar to the classical deterministic analogon, we assume that the fishery harvests the fish population following a constant effort strategy. In the first step, we derive the effort level that leads to maximum expected sustainable yield, which is understood as the expectation of the equilibrium distribution of the stochastic dynamics. This replaces the nonzero fixed point in the classical deterministic setup. In the second step, we assume that the fishery is risk averse and that there is a tradeoff between expected sustainable yield and uncertainty measured in terms of the variance of the equilibrium distribution. We derive the optimal constant effort harvesting strategy for this problem. In the final step, we consider an approach that we call the mean‐variance analysis to sustainable fisheries. Similar as in the now classical mean‐variance analysis in finance, going back to Markowitz [1952] , we study the problem of maximizing expected sustainable yields under variance constraints, and with this, minimizing the variance, e.g., risk, under guaranteed minimum expected sustainable yields. We derive explicit formulas for the optimal fishing effort in all four problems considered and study the effects of uncertainty, risk aversion, and mean reversion speed on fishing efforts.     

CONSTANT EFFORT AND CONSTANT QUOTAFISHING POLICIES WITH CUT-OFFS IN A RANDOM ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT. Consider a population subjected to constant effort or constant quota fishing with a generaldensity-dependence population growth function (because that function is poorly known). Consider environmental random fluctuations that either affect an intrinsic growth parameter or birth/death rates, thus resulting in two stochastic differential equations models. From previous results of ours, we obtain conditions for non-extinction and for existence of a population size stationary density. Constant quota (which always leads to extinction in random environments) and constant effort policies are studied; they are hard to implement for extreme population sizes. Introducing cut-offs circumvents these drawbacks. In a deterministic environment, for a wide range of values, cutting-off does not affect the steady-state yield. This is not so in a random environment and we will give expressions showing how steady-state average yield and population size distribution vary as functions of cut-off choices. We illustrate these general results with function plots for the particular case of logistic growth.     

A MODEL FOR THE BIOECONOMIC EVALUATION OF MARINE PROTECTED AREA SIZE AND PLACEMENT IN THE NORTH SEA

ABSTRACT. The use of marine protected areas (MPAs) as a basic management tool to limit exploitation rates in marine fisheries has been widely suggested. Models are important in predicting the consequences of management decisions and the design of monitoring programs in terms of policy goals. However, few tools are available that consider both multiple fleets and ecosystem scale dynamics. We use a new applied game theory tool, Ecoseed, that operates within a temporally and spatially explicit biomass dynamics model, Ecopath with Ecosim, to evaluate the efficacy of marine protected areas in the North Sea in both ecological and economic terms. The Ecoseed model builds MPAs based on the change in values of predicted economic rents of fisheries and the existence value of biomass pools in the ecosystem. We consider the market values of four fisheries operating in the North Sea: a trawl fishery, a gill net fishery, a seine fishery, and an industrial (reduction) fishery. We apply existence values, scaled such that their aggregate is similar to the total fishery value, to six biomass pools of concern: juvenile cod, haddock, whiting, saithe, seals, and the collective pool ‘Other predators’ that include marine mammals. Four policy options were considered: to maximize the rent only; to maximize the existence values only; to maximize the sum of the rent and existence values; and, finally, to maximize the sum of the rent and the existence values, but excluding only the trawl fleet from the MPA. The Ecoseed model suggests that policy goals that do not include ecological considerations can negatively impact the rents obtained by the different fishing sectors. The existence values will also be negatively impacted unless the MPA is very large. The Ecoseed model also suggests that policy goals based solely on existence values will negatively impact most fisheries. Under policy options that included ecological considerations, maximum benefits were derived from an MPA that covered 25–40% of the North Sea, placed along the southern and eastern coasts. Finally, the Ecoseed model suggests that an exclusion of the trawl fishery only from the MPA can provide small‐to‐substantial positive impacts to most species and fleets; this relative impact depends on level of interaction between the trawl fleet and the other fleets target species (e.g., through bycatch).     

具有约束的随机消费与投资最优控制

本文讨论随机消费－投资最优控制问题,提出一类有约束马氏决策模型,用线性规划方法给出最优随机平稳策略．     

IN-SEASON FISHERY MANAGEMENT: A BAYESIAN MODEL

A Bayesian model is presented for optimizing harvest rates on an uncertain resource stock during the course of a fishing season. Pre-season stock status information, in the form of a “prior” probability distribution, is updated using new data obtained through the operation of the fishery, and harvest rates are chosen to achieve a balance between conservation concerns and fishing interests. A series of fishery scenarios are considered, determined by the stock size distribution and the timing distribution; the uncertainty in the fish stock is seen to have a rather complex influence on optimal harvest rates. The model is applied to a specific example, the Skeena River sockeye salmon fishery.