Co-management of a high-value species with territorial use rights for fisheries: a spatial bioeconomic approach with environmental variability

Abalone is a high-value resource that is an important export market fishery of Mexico that is managed through territorial use rights for fisheries allocated to a coastal community. A specific age-structured spatial bioeconomic model was applied to this fishery to undertake stock recovery to target levels. The model incorporates uncertainty in the parameter k of a von Bertalanffy growth function with environmental variability. The risk of falling below and exceeding the target and bioeconomic limit reference points of the population with alternative fisheries management strategies was studied using a Monte Carlo analysis. The management strategy evaluation showed that Emin (minimum effort) and EmaxNPV (resource rent maximization effort) generated higher biomass levels and higher present value of resource rent than Emsy (effort in maximum sustainable yield) at the end of the simulation period, regardless of the bioeconomic reference points and assuming a reduction in fishing effort. Emin and EmaxNPV increased and maximized the present value of resource rent generated by the species while avoiding its overexploitation. The social consequences of the management strategies were considered with the participation of fishers of this co-managed fishery.