Bioeconomic modelling and salmon aquaculture: an overview of the literature

Bioeconomic models can be used to assist producers and decision-makers in identifying optimal production system designs, operation management strategies, and alternative development and policy approaches. This paper reviews the literature on bioeconomic modelling in aquaculture since 1993 and builds on an earlier article by Leung (1994) which examines this literature for the 1974-1993 period. In order to identify the papers reviewed in the present study, a thorough online search in various databases and some specific journals was conducted. Observations on the general state-of-the-art of bioeconomic modelling in aquaculture are discerned based on a comparative analysis of work in the field, with specific reference to salmon aquaculture. Implications for salmon aquaculture systems in Chile and elsewhere are discussed.