Unintended consequences: The spillover effects of common property regulations

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe closure of the Hawaiian longline swordfish fishery over the period [2001][2002][2003][2004], which was motivated by the protection of endangered sea turtles, created the elements of a natural experiment that allows identification of the market transfer of catch (and sea turtle bycatch) to other regions. This paper exploits the fact that the vessels in the Hawaiian longline fishery sell their catch in the US fresh swordfish market to analyze the pattern of changes in US fresh and frozen swordfish consumption both before and after the closure regulation was imposed. The mechanisms by which any unintended consequences on endangered sea turtles in other fishery locations in the world are shown to take place through the US swordfish market. At the estimated annual market transfer, a bootstrap analysis of the probability distribution of bycatch rates indicates that the regulation led to an additional 2882 sea turtle interactions at the sample means.

Development and Trial of Deep-set Buoy Gear for Swordfish, Xiphias gladius, in the Southern California Bight

“…Because domestic swordfi sh production is unable to meet U.S. consumer demand, the majority of U.S. seafood is imported from foreign nations which often lack comparable management, compliance, and enforcement measures (Rausser et al, 2009). This study provides the initial steps towards identifying new domestic swordfi sh fi shery options for the U.S. west coast while minimizing interactions with species of concern.…”

“…Collectively these obstacles have prevented the development of alternative gear types more commonly used in global fi sheries for swordfi sh (e.g., pelagic longline) and have resulted in the under-utilization of the west coast swordfi sh resource (Brodziak and Ishimura 2 ). The reduction in domestic landings have also increased the reliance upon foreign swordfi sh imports to accommodate domestic demand (Rausser et al, 2009).…”

Fishing Revenue, Productivity and Product Choice in the Alaskan Pollock Fishery

“…We analyze production in this fishery over a time period (1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004) when management switched from regulated open access to a quota-based regime due to the 1998 American Fisheries Act (AFA). This change allows us to evaluate the economic impacts of two distinct institutional settings through a natural experiment (Frech 1976;Brunt 2007;Grafton et al 2000;Rausser et al 2008). …”

From Sunrise to Sunset in the California Drift Gillnet Fishery: An Examination of the Effects of Time and Area Closures on the Catch and Catch Rates of Pelagic Species

“…It is possible that restricting effort in the U.S. fi shery may result in increased effort in foreign fi sheries that may impose an even larger risk to the target stock and all bycatch species (Rausser et al, 2009).…”