World Conference on Natural Resource Modeling

Habitat Damage and Marine Reserves in a Stage-Structured Bioeconomic Model

High Country Conference Center

analyzes of bioeconomic fisheries models have shown that marine reserves can maximize long-term profits in multi-patch systems. Though some existing models have shown that incorporating stock stage-structure is important for evaluating the economic efficacy of marine reserves, and others have shown that accounting for the possibility of harvest-induced damage is likewise critical for understanding when marine reserves are part of an economically optimal management strategy, these two features have yet to be simultaneously included in a bioeconomic model. We constructed a single-species, stage-structured, two-patch model and analyzed the case where each patch is occupied by one of two distinct life history stages (juveniles and adults) that both have market value. We also allow for the possibility of harvest-induced damage to both juvenile and adult habitats. We show how the optimality and optimal location of marine reserves depends on life history and economic parameters and highlight the importance of knowledge of both stage structure and the potential for habitat damage.