Abstract
The concentration patterns in the Northeast U.S. sea scallop industry are examined from 1996-2014 using generalized indices of concentration and exploratory spatial data analysis. Absolute and relative Theil indices of concentration are computed to describe the regional pattern of concentration within ports over time. Moran’s I provides a complementary measure of concentration of activity among neighboring ports. The Moran scatterplots and confidence plots provide insight into local patterns of concentration in this industry. The analysis reveals large changes from year to year in the geographic concentration of the scallop industry, which is likely to be related to natural variability of the environment and regulations enacted by fisheries managers in response to the variability of the environment.
Highlights
We have presented an exploratory spatial analysis of production trends in the commercial fishing industry in the Northeast United States, focusing on changes in the concentration of the scallop industry and spatial association of that industry over time
We find large changes in the measures of geographic concentration and local spatial association
The relative Theil index indicates a general trend of convergence: the scallop and overall fishing industry are increasingly located in the same ports
Summary
Concentration of economic activity is a frequently studied phenomenon in regional science and economics. Explanations for concentration of economic activity tend to focus on economies of scale in combination with transportation costs (Krugman, 1991), technical spillovers within industries (Marshall, 1890; Arrow, 1962; Romer, 1986), spillovers between industries (Jacobs, 1969, 1986), spatial variation in government policies (Holmes, 1998), and geographical interpretations of comparative/natural advantages adapted from trade theory (Ohlin, 1967; Fujita and Mori, 1996). Capture fisheries are interesting because many fish stocks are highly variable from year to year, fishing vessels are very mobile, and the industry is heavily regulated These regulations could potentially change the natural advantages of any particular port. We take advantage of the freedom to independently select an appropriate weighting system and reference benchmark described by Bickenbach and Bode (2008) This allows us to examine how scallop fishing has evolved relative to both a uniform distribution and the contemporaneous distribution of fishing. Fisheries managers understand that spatially explicit fisheries regulations, like permanent and rotating closures of fishing grounds, will affect ports that specialize in a fishery and can result in shifts in the location of that fishery. Describing and understanding the port-dynamics of the scallop fishery can begin to provide insight into the relative importance of these economic forces
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
