Dynamical, Bioeconomic Modeling of Fishery Interactions in the Gulf of Maine

• Main Author: Fitzpatrick, Dominic
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@UMaine 2013
• Subjects: Atlantic cod fisheries; Atlantic herring fisheries; American lobster fisheries; Environmental aspects; Economic aspects; Gulf of Maine; Aquaculture and Fisheries; Oceanography; atlantic cod; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2036; https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3070&context=etd

Ecosystem-based fisheries managements have been in the works for the better part of the last two decades, but challenges to implementation arise in understanding the coupled nature of fishery interactions. I use a stage-structured model to map the interactions between three economically and ecologically important species: Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and American lobster (Homarus americanus). I first explore the dynamics of the three-species system by setting up three ecological scenarios: top-down, bottom-up, and a predator-prey loop. Outputs from these ecological scenarios are linked to a simple fisheries model, and I compare the potential profitability over a range of fishery configurations. I find predator-prey interactions to be an important factor regarding the capacity and productivity of a fishery. I uncover the potential for alternate stable states of the three-species bio-economic system, and highlight areas for further development of ecosystem level bioeconomic model.