The cost imposed on a fishery by a seabird population

✍ Scribed by Alasdair I. Houston

• Book ID: 104155001
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 595 KB
• Volume: 158
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5193
• DOI: 10.1016/s0022-5193(05)80736-2

✦ Synopsis

Using simple surplus yield models, the effect of a seabird population on the maximum sustainable yield of a fishery is investigated. Two measures of the cost imposed by the birds on the fishery are discussed. The shadow (or marginal) cost is the small change in the fishery's yield that results from a small change in the behaviour of the birds. The total cost is the change in yield to the fishery that would result from removing the seabird population. It is shown that the total cost to the fishery is not necessarily equal to the fish taken by the birds. A general equation for the shadow cost in terms of the bird's functional response is given.

The Effect of Seabirds on a Fishery

Given the large amounts of fish consumed by seabirds (Furness, 1982