The Bioeconomic Analysis of Conflicting Interests in the Baltic Salmon Fisheries

Conflicting interests in the extraction of renewable resources bring about economic trade-offs that can be quantified with the methods of natural resource economics. These methods bring economic and ecological dimensions together while providing decision-makers insight into the welfare-maximizing optimal management of natural resources. This thesis develops three bioeconomic simulation models coupled with numerical optimization to analyse the conflicting interests in the management of Baltic salmon fisheries.
The interaction among protected wildlife species and resource users mirrors conflicting interests in society. In the Baltic Sea, human-wildlife conflict occurs between a high-value salmon trap net fishery and protection of the recovering grey seal population (Halichoerus grypus). In this thesis, we quantify the economic effect of grey seal conservation on the professional Finnish salmon trap net fishery. We calculate the extent of damaged and lost catch due to seals, i.e., the seal-induced damages, and model the fishers’ optimal gear adaptation in the presence of seals as well as the implications for the salmon stock (Article I). This article is the first attempt to model the economically optimal Baltic salmon fisheries management in the presence of grey seals.
To avoid stock collapse and to enable the fishery’s profitability in the long term, fisheries management is needed. The EU Common Fisheries Policy sets a minimum management objective at the maximum sustainable yield yet fails to explicitly address the three pillars of sustainability: economic growth, environmental protection and social development. This thesis addresses the role of the fisheries management objectives by comparing biological and economic management objectives, namely, maximum sustainable yield and maximum economic yield (Article II), in the commercial salmon trap net fishery. Our results show that by aiming at the economic objective, society would generate more gains from fisheries while attaining a higher salmon stock size.
The interactions among resource user groups affect the reproductive capacity of the fish stock as well as the utility and profits of the user groups, here commercial and recreational salmon fishers. The reciprocal negative externalities from fishing activities often give rise to conflicts among recreational and commercial fishers. This thesis addresses the economic and ecological dynamics of the commercial salmon trap net fishery and recreational angling while acknowledging the role of social norms and the heterogeneous motivations of anglers and the effects on the reproductive capacity of the salmon stock caused by the commercial and recreational fishery (Article III).
This thesis consists of a summary section and three articles, which form a comprehensive picture of the bioeconomic dimensions of the Finnish Baltic salmon fisheries. The thesis contributes to the existing literature by providing novel bioeconomic tools for conflict resolution and forming a coherent, holistic view of possible improvements in Finnish salmon management.