Abstract
The fishing industry in Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), plays an important role in diversifying food sources in order to enhance national food security. The fishing industry is facing an increasing risk that may impact the sustainability (i.e., quantity and quality) of the fish caught and consumed in the UAE. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to analyze common Abu-Dhabi fishing management alternatives using various stochastic dominance techniques (i.e., first/second degree stochastic dominance, stochastic dominance with respect to a function and stochastic efficiency with respect to a function) to assess the risk facing UAE fishermen. The techniques represent a risk assessment continuum, which can provide a ranking of management alternatives to improve decision making outcomes and help maintain long-term UAE fishing sustainability. Data for the stochastic dominance analyses were obtained from a cross-sectional survey conducted through face-to-face interviews of Abu Dhabi, UAE, fishermen. Analysis of fishing methods, trap sizes and trap numbers using stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF) showed that fishermen efficient practices were not the same for risk-neutral fishermen compared to risk averse fishermen. Overall, the stochastic dominance results illustrated the importance of considering both attitude towards risk and economic inefficiencies in managing UAE fishery practices and designing successful fishery policies, as well as improving decision-making at the fishermen level.
Highlights
Fishing is one of the oldest traditional industries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is typically inherited from former generations
Based on the 131 fishermen interviewed, the survey sample results indicated that the average fishing boat age was about 22 years with a standard deviation (SD) of nine years
A boat license costs UAE fishermen about 220 AED on average, and survey results showed that there was on average four workers per boat earning a salary of 712 AED per worker monthly
Summary
Fishing is one of the oldest traditional industries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is typically inherited from former generations. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [1] reported that UAE fishery policy objectives can be summarized as follows: (1) maintain traditional fishing and produce fresh fish for local markets to serve national food security policy goals; (2) control and support research for the sustainable use of fishery stocks; (3) prohibit destructive fishing practices to protect the marine environment; (4) enhance local fish populations, build artificial reefs and re-stock important local species; and (5) subsidize local fish producers These policy objectives were translated to Fishery Law No 23, which was enacted in 1999 to regulate fishery operations in the UAE [1,2].
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