Managing Northern Baltic Salmon Fisheries under Social-Ecological Complexity
The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a treasured catch for both commercial and recreational fishers at the Baltic Sea. Especially in Tornionjoki river, which is one of the two remaining wild salmon rivers at the Finnish coast of Baltic, recreational fishing is an increasingly popular activity, and a...
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| Format: | Conference Object |
| Language: | English unknown |
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| Online Access: | https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/conference_proceedings_or_journals/4q77ft25b |
| Summary: | The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a treasured catch for both commercial and recreational fishers at the Baltic Sea. Especially in Tornionjoki river, which is one of the two remaining wild salmon rivers at the Finnish coast of Baltic, recreational fishing is an increasingly popular activity, and a source of plentiful debates among commercial fishers, resource conservationists, fisheries scientists and managers. The decreasing trend in commercial fishing highlights the importance of sound management in the river fisheries, and overlooking social-ecological complexities in the continuously growing recreational fishing may lead to unsustainable fisheries management. We look at both commercial and recreational fishery using a bioeconomic model, in which the population dynamics of the salmon stock is age-structured. We take into account the multiple motivations of recreational fishers and their implications for optimal management. In our model recreational fishing effort is endogenously changing: Over time, each angler changes the frequency of angling trips, dependent on how satisfying each trip is. Furthermore, we specifically take into account that anglers are heterogeneous and are motivated by different factors, such as spending time in nature or catching fish for consumption. The key question we ask is how optimal management of the commercial fishery depends on the recreational fishery. We further ask whether any substantial welfare losses arise from ignoring recreational fishing. Finally we analyze whether it is important to consider the social complexity of the recreational fishery in management plans. Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. |
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