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Michael RobinsonMichael RobinsonGeography DepartmentGeography Department

UC Santa BarbaraUC Santa Barbara

Fisherman Behavior and Fishery Management:Fisherman Behavior and Fishery Management:A Cooperative InvestigationA Cooperative Investigation

Overview

• Original mapping projects– Socio-economic interviews

• Fishermen mapping– “Fishermen’s Ecological Knowledge”

• Scale issues– Fishing effort– Regulatory effort

• Fishermen travel behavior

Original mapping efforts

Socioeconomic Profile information

Original mapping efforts

• Where did data come from?– CINMS socioeconomic monitoring– MRWG process– Fishermen interviews Barilotti & Pomeroy

samples

• What types of data?– Economic– Ethnographic

Original mapping efforts

• 14 fisheries:– Market squid

– Kelp

– Urchins

– Spiny lobster

– Prawn

– Rockfishes

– Flatfishes

– Sea cucumbers

– Wetfish

– Crabs

– California sheephead

– Sculpin & Bass

– Tuna

– Shark

The 13 fish species accounted for over 99% of ex-vessel value of the 1999 CINMS commercial catch. 19% of the fishermen in the CINMS accounted for 82% of the value of catch.

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Fishermen mapping efforts

Fishermen’s ecological knowledge

& effect of scale

Effect of scale

• Small scale map– covers large area

– view relationships within entire region

– scale of analysis & regulation

• Large scale map– covers small area

– see detail & differences

– identify “hot spots”

– scale of fishing effort & extraction

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Misalignment of data

• A noticeable portion of the economic data isn’t in the correct place. Why?– Difficulty identifying exact locations– Intentional misrepresentation

• Improved economic data will improve the accuracy of biocomplexity models and reserve analysis

Data: CA DFG, NOAA, C.MillerBathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAA, C.MillerBathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAA, C.MillerBathymetry in fathoms

Regulatory Overlap

• Existing fishery management & “regulatory redundancy”

• Concentrated fishing efforts outside reserves

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Regulatory Overlap

• Existing fishery management & “regulatory redundancy”

• Concentrated fishing efforts outside reserves

Data: CA DFG, NOAABathymetry in fathoms

Fishermen travel behavior

Modeling fisherman travel behavior

• What factors determine when and where a fisherman goes to work?– Smith & Wilen, 2003

• How do these factors vary across:– Fleets– Ports– Fisheries

• How does this affect the spatial distribution of fish stocks?

Time & Distance

What factors determine when and where a fisher-

man goes to work?

Fishing location

Physical Variables Water temperature Wind conditions

Other “NOAA parameters”

Mechanical Variables Market value vs. cost to fish Season closures

Equipment “restrictions” (boat/trap maintenance, etc)

WHEN Mechanical Variables Gear restrictions Size restrictions Marine reserves Other closures

Physical Variables Bathymetry Substrate Kelp presence Fish presence

WHERE

Decision “paradigm”

Will I fish today?

If so, where?

Realistic range?

Optimizer or satisficer?

Wave height

Modeling fisherman travel behavior

• Determining behavior variables:– Location

– Duration

– Range

– Quantity & value

• Levels of interest:– Boat (individuals interacting on a particular boat)

– Port (boats interacting at a certain port)

– Fishery (ports interacting/impacting a certain fishery)

Conclusions…so far

Conclusions

• Everything is preliminary• Scale of extraction seems small• Scale of regulation is comparatively large• This disparity has significant implications for fish

stock, economic, and reserve models• Need more detailed and realistic modeling of

fishermen:– Decision-making– Travel behavior

Prospects

• Improved communication– Among fishermen– Between fishermen, regulators, and scientists

• Fishermen involvement in mapping and reserve process– Fox guarding the henhouse vs. farmer in charge of the

farm (Hilborn et al, 2005)

• Expanded data collection efforts• More efficient and realistic management practices

image: Wm. B. Dewey,www.islandpackers.com