Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty
Motivated by the global rise in demand for marine products, there is increased interest in exploitation of the mesopelagic zone. However, the feasibility of this potential fishery remains uncertain, partly due to limited biological data and knowledge on sustainability of exploitation, and due to que...
Published in: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/4a6e372c-c632-4d4e-b344-238ea9a52d4b https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1285793 https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/345933566/fmars-10-1285793.pdf |
id |
ftdtupubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/4a6e372c-c632-4d4e-b344-238ea9a52d4b |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdtupubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/4a6e372c-c632-4d4e-b344-238ea9a52d4b 2024-09-15T18:25:22+00:00 Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty Vastenhoud, Berthe M. J. Bastardie, Francois Andersen, Ken H. Speirs, Douglas C. Nielsen, J. Rasmus 2023 application/pdf https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/4a6e372c-c632-4d4e-b344-238ea9a52d4b https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1285793 https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/345933566/fmars-10-1285793.pdf eng eng https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/4a6e372c-c632-4d4e-b344-238ea9a52d4b info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Vastenhoud , B M J , Bastardie , F , Andersen , K H , Speirs , D C & Nielsen , J R 2023 , ' Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty ' , Frontiers in Marine Science , vol. 10 , 1285793 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1285793 Mesopelagic fishery Ecological sustainability Economic viability analysis Danish large-scale pelagic fishery DISPLACE bio-economic model Maurolicus muelleri Benthosema glaciale Northeast Atlantic Ocean /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water article 2023 ftdtupubl https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1285793 2024-08-13T00:03:07Z Motivated by the global rise in demand for marine products, there is increased interest in exploitation of the mesopelagic zone. However, the feasibility of this potential fishery remains uncertain, partly due to limited biological data and knowledge on sustainability of exploitation, and due to questions related to its economic viability. Consequently, there is a demand for better insights into these factors before any commencement of a fishery. Here we use the DISPLACE individual-vessel based bio-economic model to evaluate economic and biological trade-offs of a fishery on Maurolicus muelleri and Benthosema glaciale , the main potential target fish species in the mesopelagic zone of the Northeast Atlantic. We found that a fish price between 1.6-5.0 €/kg is necessary for mesopelagic resources to assure a profitable mesopelagic fishery, which is twice that expected for species with similar fat content. These high fish prices are necessary to cover the high fuel consumption costs due to the distant fishing grounds. Furthermore, the distance of the fishing grounds makes the fuel tank capacity a limiting factor for the fishery. A first evaluation of preliminary harvest control strategies indicated that a low fishing mortality of F = 0.2 year -1 resulted in the highest potential profitability of the fishery. Restriction of gear mesh sizes did not significantly affect the profitability of the fishery. We show that the current ecological uncertainties, especially regarding the life-history, species-specific and spatio-temporal abundance and distribution estimates have a significant impact on the estimates of potential viability of the fishery. It is therefore of the utmost importance to gain more insights in those factors before investments are made into the development of such fishery. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northeast Atlantic Technical University of Denmark: DTU Orbit Frontiers in Marine Science 10 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Technical University of Denmark: DTU Orbit |
op_collection_id |
ftdtupubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Mesopelagic fishery Ecological sustainability Economic viability analysis Danish large-scale pelagic fishery DISPLACE bio-economic model Maurolicus muelleri Benthosema glaciale Northeast Atlantic Ocean /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water |
spellingShingle |
Mesopelagic fishery Ecological sustainability Economic viability analysis Danish large-scale pelagic fishery DISPLACE bio-economic model Maurolicus muelleri Benthosema glaciale Northeast Atlantic Ocean /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water Vastenhoud, Berthe M. J. Bastardie, Francois Andersen, Ken H. Speirs, Douglas C. Nielsen, J. Rasmus Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty |
topic_facet |
Mesopelagic fishery Ecological sustainability Economic viability analysis Danish large-scale pelagic fishery DISPLACE bio-economic model Maurolicus muelleri Benthosema glaciale Northeast Atlantic Ocean /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water |
description |
Motivated by the global rise in demand for marine products, there is increased interest in exploitation of the mesopelagic zone. However, the feasibility of this potential fishery remains uncertain, partly due to limited biological data and knowledge on sustainability of exploitation, and due to questions related to its economic viability. Consequently, there is a demand for better insights into these factors before any commencement of a fishery. Here we use the DISPLACE individual-vessel based bio-economic model to evaluate economic and biological trade-offs of a fishery on Maurolicus muelleri and Benthosema glaciale , the main potential target fish species in the mesopelagic zone of the Northeast Atlantic. We found that a fish price between 1.6-5.0 €/kg is necessary for mesopelagic resources to assure a profitable mesopelagic fishery, which is twice that expected for species with similar fat content. These high fish prices are necessary to cover the high fuel consumption costs due to the distant fishing grounds. Furthermore, the distance of the fishing grounds makes the fuel tank capacity a limiting factor for the fishery. A first evaluation of preliminary harvest control strategies indicated that a low fishing mortality of F = 0.2 year -1 resulted in the highest potential profitability of the fishery. Restriction of gear mesh sizes did not significantly affect the profitability of the fishery. We show that the current ecological uncertainties, especially regarding the life-history, species-specific and spatio-temporal abundance and distribution estimates have a significant impact on the estimates of potential viability of the fishery. It is therefore of the utmost importance to gain more insights in those factors before investments are made into the development of such fishery. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vastenhoud, Berthe M. J. Bastardie, Francois Andersen, Ken H. Speirs, Douglas C. Nielsen, J. Rasmus |
author_facet |
Vastenhoud, Berthe M. J. Bastardie, Francois Andersen, Ken H. Speirs, Douglas C. Nielsen, J. Rasmus |
author_sort |
Vastenhoud, Berthe M. J. |
title |
Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty |
title_short |
Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty |
title_full |
Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty |
title_fullStr |
Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty |
title_full_unstemmed |
Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty |
title_sort |
economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/4a6e372c-c632-4d4e-b344-238ea9a52d4b https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1285793 https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/345933566/fmars-10-1285793.pdf |
genre |
Northeast Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Northeast Atlantic |
op_source |
Vastenhoud , B M J , Bastardie , F , Andersen , K H , Speirs , D C & Nielsen , J R 2023 , ' Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty ' , Frontiers in Marine Science , vol. 10 , 1285793 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1285793 |
op_relation |
https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/4a6e372c-c632-4d4e-b344-238ea9a52d4b |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1285793 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
10 |
_version_ |
1810465880568496128 |