Regulatory Impact Analysis Framework for Hawaii Pelagic Fishery Management: A Multilevel and Multiobjective Programming Model

(Note: As of January 2005, Dr. Minling Pan of the NMFS-PIFSC has taken over as the lead PI for this project)

Progress Reports (PDF): SOEST-JIMAR report, FY 2005, FY 2004, FY 2003, FY 2002

Project Overview
A number of issues confront pelagic fisheries management in Hawaii, including longline interactions with protected species (marine turtles and sea birds), catch competition with small-scale fisheries such as blue marlin, and by-catch related issues (e.g., shark finning). A 1999 Hawaii federal court ruling to ban longline fishing around the Hawaiian Islands (approx. 6.5 million square miles) will go into effect mid-summer 2000 in order to provide more protection for sea turtles, sometimes caught as longline by-catch. Fishery managers are considering new regulatory policies to resolve these issues. Understanding how regulatory policies would change fishing activity and related benefits and costs is critical to sound fisheries management in a complex fishery system such as the Hawaii pelagic fishery. An effective and efficient research and analytical modeling tool is needed to compare regulatory impacts associated with management options in the range of areas.

Allocation modeling tools were developed in previous PFRP-sponsored projects to measure the economic consequences of alternative regulatory policies in fishery management decision-making. Chakravorty et al. developed an allocation model of the Hawaii longline fishery incorporating spatial and monthly distribution of effort and fish stocks (see Chakravorty project). This model was tested by evaluating the effects of regulatory policies including area closures and taxation. A multilevel and multiobjective programming model (MMPM) developed by Leung et al. is also an allocation model (see Leung project). Pan et al (1999) demonstrated the use of MMPM to evaluate the impacts of closing 50-70 miles around the main Hawaiian Islands to longline fishing in 1991, such as profit loss and changes in spatial and seasonal allocation of effort, optimal fleet mix, and use of fish resources. As such, both models can be used to evaluate time-area closures, inter alia, but none is sufficient at present.

Neither model is completely satisfactory in analyzing a range of potential management measurements. Especially, the area designations - the five concentric areas in the MMPM or 5° square in Chakravorty's model - are too large for current regulatory issues where the ranges of various policy options may differ by 1° square. Since area closure is a common practice in fishery management, it is necessary to modify the allocation models by incorporating a flexible area classification to meet the unique management needs for the Hawaii pelagic fishery.

Project researchers will address this critical element while incorporating the advantages of the existing allocation model to meet the specific needs of fisheries management in Hawaii. Researchers plan to modify Leung's MMPM in several ways:

1. Redefining area to a flexible classification system by incorporating a "hypothesis fishing area", a regulatory area whose range and shape can be adjusted based on the need of regulation.
2. Redefining the shape and range of the basic areas given some stock are migratory and variations in production technology and convenient design of the data engine. To meet the needs of policy analysis, and to be convenient for generating data, the MMPM needs a new area classification, e.g., each area that can be aggregated by 1° square.
3. Develop a data engine to support a flexible area, season, target, and species classification system for the model and sensitivity analysis.
4. Update model parameters based on the new structure of the model using the most recent HDAR, longline logbook, and new cost-earnings survey data (if available).
5. Estimate the regulatory impacts of new and potential area closures and other relevant policy options, including trade-offs by type of longline vessels.
6. Estimate the change in the trade-off value between small boats and longline fishery with area regulation.

Year 1 funding for this project awarded in August 2001.

Principal Investigators:

Dr. Samuel Pooley
National Marine Fisheries Service
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Honolulu Laboratory
2570 Dole Street, Room 219
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 USA
Phone (808) 983-5320
FAX (808) 983-2902
email: spooley@honlab.nmfs.hawaii.edu