Model identification for flexible multifleet–multispecies fisheries: a simulation study

Abstract

In multifleet–multispecies fisheries exploitation, fishing units of some fleets may choose between different fishing tactics targeting different species combinations. Such fishing units may be very important for different reasons, and must be accounted for in global frameworks. Such a framework was built in order to qualitatively represent the main features of the Senegalese artisanal fishery. Simulations may be carried out with output comparable to available data, so that the parameters of the model may be estimated using a least squares criterion. One of the sources of uncertainty comes from a lack of knowledge of both the real dynamics of the fishing strategies and the dynamics of the harvested populations. We show, with a simple simulated fishery, that very different models may fit classical catch effort data, and that the assumptions made on the `biological' and on the `socio-economical' aspects of the fishery are very closely linked. We also show some of the consequences of the choice of a model in terms of prediction of results for economical and biological aspects.