We study the economic performance of Benthic Resource Management Areas (BRMAs) in central-southern Chile. The analysis considers 26 managed areas with Agreements of Use declaring Chilean abalone (Concholepas concholepas) to be the main exploited benthic resource from 2001 to 2003. Our analysis explores the role played by several characteristics thought to be potential BRMA performance determinants. These variables were defined and grouped into four types: economic, environmental–biological, institutional–organizational, and organizational leader.

Economic theory predicts that open access leads to myopic behaviour of fishermen, while improving property rights leads to more long-term decisions of fishermen.

Using South Africa’s hake and rock lobster fisheries, the authors argue the need for satellite accounts of South Africa’s commercial fisheries.

Implementation and management of an ITQ fishery involves significant and costly administrative activities.  These activities include formulating and implementing policy rules, monitoring and enforcement to deter illegal behavior, and economic and marine research.  In this project we construct a model of a competitive ITQ system to analyze how the distribution of administrative costs between the public and a fishing industry can affect the equilibrium in the quota market, including equilibrium level of administrative costs, and derive results about the optimal distribution of these

This article analyzes the effects of the invasion of water hyacinth on fishing in Lake Victoria.

Fisheries in developing countries are often characterized by poorly defined property rights, open access, and overcapitalization. The authors explore how trade liberalization generally is beneficial, but combining it with open access may reduce a country’s welfare and fish stocks, especially when reinforced by bad subsidies.

Trade liberalization may also promote development of property rights in response to increased fish exploitation. The WTO can help facilitate trade by reclassifying subsidies to eliminate bad ones and distinguish good ones.