Marine Science Faculty Publications

A Bioeconomic Optimization Approach for Rebuilding Marine Communities: British Columbia Case Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2009

Keywords

British Columbia, Ecopath with Ecosim, ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF), ecosystem restoration, ecosystem-based management (EBM), Maxdex fleet, optimal restorable biomass (ORB), trophic models

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892910000135

Abstract

Many marine ecosystems are depleted of living resources as a result of long-term overexploitation. Restoration plans should perhaps consider the entire ecosystem as opposed to single species, yet there is currently no suitable framework available for the design and comparison of whole-ecosystem restoration trajectories. This paper presents a novel addition to Ecopath with Ecosim's policy search routine, the ‘specific biomass’ objective function, which allows gaming scenarios to be run using selective fishing as a tool to rebuild depleted marine ecosystems or modify them into a preferred state. In this paper, restoration scenarios aimed to restore an ecosystem in Northern British Columbia to a state similar to the historic ecosystem of 1950 AD. Restoration plans that achieve restoration quickly tend to require a large sacrifice in fishery profits, while slower plans allow for continued harvest benefits. A convex relationship between profit and recovered biodiversity suggests that there may be an optimal rate of restoration. Cost-benefit analysis demonstrates that conservative restoration plans can offer a rate of return superior to bank interest when viewed as an investment in natural capital. Increasing the selectivity of fishing gear improves the economic outlook.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

No

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Environmental Conservation, v. 36, issue 4, p. 301-311

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