Economics of resource conservation in a commercial shark fishery

Abstract

In 1988, a management plan was introduced into the southern shark fishery in response to concerns over the depressed state of shark stocks. Compared with stocks in the 1970s, stocks in 1986 were estimated to have been fished down by 60-90%. The management plan was introduced with the intention of protecting shark stocks and, in the longer term, allowing them to recover to previous numbers. The plant was based on restrictions on the number of boats and on the amount of gill-netting that could be used in the fishery (McGregor 1988). These and subsequent management controls have not only protected shark stocks but also affected the use of labour and other scarce resources for catching shark.

The purpose of this paper is to show, through an examination of the Australian southern shark fishery, how management can be used to conserve shark stocks and address wider issues of resource use.