Events

Pathways and Policies toward Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

May 31 – June 3, 2009: United States Society for Ecological Economics (USSEE) Conference 2009 Symposium.

Symposium Abstract: Modern fisheries constitute a quintessential ecological-economic problem, wherein 60 years of “rational” management has led to unimaginable erosion of fish stocks along with their habitats, food webs, and ecosystems. Unless fishing behaviors are altered, we face an unprecedented, global collapse of a critical source of protein for an increasing human population. In this symposium, we expose the pathologies of current practices, and explore approaches that will restore, revive, and sustain ecosystem support for fisheries.

Global Ocean Economics Project Planning Workshop

While planning for the Global Ocean Economics Project began as early as December 2007, the project picked up speed in spring of 2008 when a group of nineteen biologists, economists, and students took part in a three-day planning workshop. The event which was scheduled for April 21-22, 2008 was important in laying the foundation, theoretic and practical, for the future of the project.

Sixth Meeting on Game Theory and Practice Dedicated to Development, Natural Resources and the Environment

July 10-12, 2006: 6th Meeting on Game Theory and Practice Dedicated to Development, Natural Resources and the Environment - hosted by IAMZ-CIHEAM (Zaragoza, Spain)

Projects

Global Ocean Economics Project

Objective:
The goal of this study is to determine the global economic contribution and impact of activities supported by ocean fish populations, now and in the future. The roughly two year project is expected to be completed by May 2010.

Lenfest Ocean Futures Project

The Lenfest Ocean Futures Project focuses on questions of current fisheries management and how these decisions affect ecosystems and in turn feed back into the economy.  The final product will be a single and multi-player gaming environment based on the scientific software Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) that can be used by scientists and policy makers alike to understand the impact of different fisheries management regimes.

Recently the developers have released a teaser of what the gaming environment will look like.  While you may see a video of the project embeded below it’s highly recommended to…

Economic Contribution to Ecosystem-Based Management in the Birds Head Seascape, Papua, Indonesia

Objective
Raja Ampat, in Eastern Indonesia, boasts the highest coral reef biodiversity in the world, and is therefore an important area not only for fishing and tourism, but also for conservation. In an effort to understand this ecosystem, development of an ecosystem based management (EBM) framework was initiated by Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund. The economic component of this project was our particular focus. Specifically, our objective was to look at the economics of unregulated and illegal fishing in Raja Ampat. An unregulated anchovy fishery and the illegal use of dynamite and explosives in the region were studied.

Recent Publications

Management Effectiveness of the World’s Marine Fisheries

Mora, Camilo, Ransom A. Myers, Marta Coll, Simone Libralato, Tony J. Pitcher, Rashid U. Sumaila, Dirk Zeller, Reg Watson, Kevin J. Gaston, and Boris Worm. “Management Effectiveness of the World\’s Marine Fisheries.” 7, no. 6 (June 23, 2009): e1000131.

Are Dietary Recommendations for the Use of Fish Oils Sustainable?

Jenkins D.J.A., Sievenpiper J.L., Pauly D., Sumaila U.R., Kendall C.W.C. and Mowat F.M., 2009. Are dietary recommendations for the use of fish oils sustainable? Canadian Medical Association journal, 180:633.

A Private Management Approach to Coral Reef Conservation

Teh, L., Teh, L. and Chung, F.C. (2009) A Private Management Approach to Coral Reef Conservation in Sabah, Malaysia. Biodiversity and Conservation.

Quantification of U.S. Marine Fisheries Subsidies

Sharp, P. and Sumaila, U.R. (2009). Quantification of U.S. Marine Fisheries Subsidies. The North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

Industry-Funded Fishing Licence Reduction Good for Profits and Conservation

Martell, S., Walters, C.W. and Sumaila, U.R. (2009) Industry-funded fishing licence reduction good for profits and conservation. Fish and Fisheries

Buyback Subsidies, the Time Consistency Problem and the ITQ Alternative

Clark, C.M., G. Munro and U.R. Sumaila (in press). Buyback, subsidies, the time consistency problem and the ITQ alternative. Land Economics 83(1):50-58 (2007).

Potential Costs and Benefits of Marine Reserves in the High Seas

Sumaila, U.R., Zeller, D., Watson, R., Alder, J. and D. Pauly (in press). Potential costs and benefits of marine reserves in the high seas. Marine Ecology Progress Series.

The World Trade Organization and Global Fisheries Sustainability

Sumaila, U.R., Khan, A., Watson, R., Munro, G., Zeller, D., Baron, N. and D. Pauly (in press) The World Trade Organization and global fisheries sustainability. Fisheries Research.

Economic Analysis of Netcage versus Sea-Bag Production Systems for Salmon Aquaculture in British Columbia

Liu, Yajie and Sumaila, U.R., (in press) Economic analysis of netcage versus sea-bag production Systems for salmon aquaculture in British Columbia. Aquaculture Economics and Management.

Trade-off Between Conservation and Socio-Economic Objectives in Managing a Tropical Marine Ecosystem

Cheung, W. and U.R. Sumaila (in press) Trade-off between conservation and socio-economic objectives in managing a tropical marine ecosystem. Ecological Economics.