INTRODUCTION 



The Status of Fisheries Management Research 

 An Overview 



Adam A. Sokoloskii 



All disclaimers to the contrary, there is one 

 research area near and dear to the hearts of 

 virtually all economists conducting research 

 on marine resources: measuring the gap be- 

 tween the "optimum" management solution for 

 a given fishery and current management arrange- 

 ments. This is not to say that this gap has ever 

 been successfully measured for a fishery. 



In recent years some first approximations 

 have been made, however. These have been 

 reasonably consistent with a body of economic 

 theory which has existed in one form or an- 

 other for several years. This theory is the 

 original source of suggestions that the gap 

 existed, as casual observation of practice re- 

 vealed inconsistencies with "proper" theory. 



Initial empirical works unearthed several 

 critical components which are currently com- 

 plicating the issue. These are both empirical 

 and conceptual in nature and multidisciplin- 

 ary in scope. These may be listed as follows: 



1. Existing yield functions need to be ex- 

 panded and alternative functions need 

 to be specified, both with respect to such 

 factors as diminishing returns (success 

 probabilities for effort on a fixed bio- 

 mass) and multispecies interrelation- 

 ships. 



2. The appropriate emphasis for economics 

 and biologj' in bioeconomic models. 



3. The correct theoretical and empirical 

 components of effort series are needed 



1 Formerly of Division of Economic Research, 

 National Marine Fisheries Service; present address, 

 Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Water 

 Quality Standards, Arlington, VA 22202. 



to construct indices of fishing power as 

 utilized in management programs. 



4. More effort is needed in the design of 

 "correct" operational management plans: 

 the choice between variations of licens- 

 ing, quota, auction and/or leasing 

 schemes. 



5. A resolution of the choice between long 

 run versus short run "optimal" solutions. 



6. An evaluation of the appropriateness of 

 directly applying theoretical models to 

 fisheries for the purpose of deriving im- 

 plied net gains from the practical appli- 

 cation of identical working models. 



7. The role of social transfer costs in the 

 evaluation of benefits from new manage- 

 ment programs. 



8. The desirability of an incentive (pull) 

 approach versus a limited entry (push) 

 form of management program. 

 The place of jurisdictional consideration 

 in program design and operation. 

 The desirability of a multidisciplinary 

 objective simulation approach to the 

 measurement of management ramifica- 

 tions as contrasted to simultaneous 

 equations with maximization and other 

 limiting assumptions. 



11. The role of artificial propagation in the 

 design of total management plans. 



12. The role of competing uses for the re- 

 source base. 



Virtually all of these items reflect the fact 

 that as economists begin to penetrate the sur- 

 face of the management issue they gain a 

 greater appreciation of the vital role to be 

 played by the physical scientist, usually a 



9. 



10. 



