The effects of technological development on fisheries production

Abstract

Demand for seafood is continuously growing, while fish resources have been progressively exploited. Many countries treat technological development as a catalyst to improve the productivity of aquaculture and sustainable development of capture fisheries and they support fisheries technological development through government R&D expenditures. This study estimates the effects of fisheries technological development stimulated by government R&D expenditures on fisheries production aggregated by capture and aquaculture. Understanding the structure and dynamics of complex systems in the fisheries industry is necessary to analyze the effects of technological development. Thus, this study constructs a fisheries technology input–output-outcome system to demonstrate the systematic flow of technological effects. Based on the flow of technological effects, the relationships between inputs, fisheries technological development, and fisheries production are estimated by the mediated path analysis. From the path analysis conducted, it was found that fisheries technological development positively influence fisheries production. Fisheries technology development in this study is based on R&D activities supported by government funds. Such results imply that the input of government R&D expenditure stimulates R&D activities in the fisheries industry and that technology development from R&D activities leads to increases in fisheries production.