Towards Economic Sustainability or Unsustainability: The Case of Artisanal Fisheries in the Bay of Bengal

Globally, excess capacity and overexploitation of fisheries have become growing concerns because of the associated fishing, social, political, and economic consequences. This study estimates the degrees of capacity utilization and technical efficiency, and the factors affecting the capacity utilizat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine resource economics 2023-04, Vol.38 (2), p.181-201
Main Authors: Khan, Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Rahman, Md. Takibur, Roll, Kristin Helen, Guttormsen, Atle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artisanal fisheries
Economic analysis
Economics
Excess capacity
Fisheries
Fishery economics
Fishing
Fishing areas
Gillnets
Marine fish
Overexploitation
Sustainability
Underwater resources
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Summary:Globally, excess capacity and overexploitation of fisheries have become growing concerns because of the associated fishing, social, political, and economic consequences. This study estimates the degrees of capacity utilization and technical efficiency, and the factors affecting the capacity utilization of the multispecies gill-net vessels operating in the Bay of Bengal. It is based on data collected from two marine fishing areas in Bangladesh and uses data envelopment analysis and Tobit regression. Our results indicate low degrees of capacity utilization and high degrees of technical inefficiency. However, by holding production at an efficient level, unbiased capacity utilization is close to full capacity. A high degree of excess capacity exists, and more than one-third of vessels could be decommissioned. Furthermore, vessel capacity, number of trips, and trip duration affect capacity utilization. An implication of our results is that efficient management of vessel capacity might be helpful in controlling harvest and reducing overexploitation.
ISSN:0738-1360
2334-5985
DOI:10.1086/723732