Distributional and efficiency effects of marine protected areas: A studv of the Northeast Atlantic cod fishery

We study the distributional and efficiency effects of marine protected areas using the Northeast Atlantic cod stock as an example. A model with two players targeting different age groups of cod is developed to examine how protected areas may affect payoffs to the players under cooperation and non-cooperation. We find that depending on the ex ante and ex post management regime, win-win, lose-lose, or win-lose outcomes may emerge with the implementation of marine protected areas. When the ex post management is cooperation, both players gain, while ex post non-cooperative behavior results in gains only to one of the players.