Exploring the RTI (real-time incentive) tariff-based approach to single-species fisheries management

• Published in: Fisheries research Vol. 155; pp. 90 - 102
• Main Authors: Kraak, Sarah B.M., Reid, Dave G., Codling, Edward A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-07-2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Mixed fisheries; Real-time incentives; Spatiotemporal fisheries management; Tactical behaviour; Tariff-based management; Spatiotemporal fisheries management; Mixed fisheries; Real-time incentives; Tactical behaviour; Tariff-based management; Fishery
• ISSN: 0165-7836; 1872-6763
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2014.02.014

[Display omitted]
•The real-time incentives (RTI) fishery management system is explored by simulation.•Fishers are assigned credits to spend according to spatiotemporally varying tariffs.•Allocations are based on stock targets and tariffs updated based on real-time CPUE.•Adaptive RTI-management can cope with tactical fisher behaviour and misreporting.•RTI controls F on choke species while allowing fishing opportunity for other species.
In the recently proposed real-time incentives (RTI) fisheries management approach fishers would be allocated fishing-impact credits (‘RTIs’) to spend according to spatiotemporally varying tariffs. RTI-quota and tariffs would be based on commercial stock targets, and tariffs could be updated based on real-time CPUE data. The fisher could dynamically choose how to spend his RTIs, e.g. by limited fishing in sensitive areas and fishing longer in less sensitive areas. Using a conceptual simulation framework we explore the feasibility of RTI-management given potential responses by fishermen and have a look at the internal dynamics of the system. In particular, we consider various tactical decision-making strategies that may be used by fishermen to optimise their fishing activities within the system. In addition, we explore RTI-management in the context of the classical mixed-fisheries problem, where restricting fishing mortality of a vulnerable “choke” species could unnecessarily restrict fishing on other species. We find that the adaptive management explicit in the RTI-system can, in principle, cope with various forms of tactical fisher behaviour, even misreporting, and that the system responds in a coherent and understandable way. We show that RTI-management can, in principle, to a large extent overcome the classical mixed-fisheries problem, since the fishing mortality of a “choke” species can be controlled while simultaneously allowing fishing opportunity for other species. We discuss our findings as a first step of explorations needed towards testing the RTI-system in the context of its practical implementation.