Short-term decisions of small-scale fishers selecting alternative target species: a choice model

The complexity of small-scale fisheries makes it difficult to predict the allocation of fishing effort among alternative target species in mixed fisheries, resulting in limitation for fisheries management. One reason for the difficulty is that fishing effort has been assumed as an aggregate of different components, without consideration of fishers' decisions. In this paper, we use discrete choice models to identify factors involved in fishers' decisions about selecting target species on a daily basis. We analyze catch data, by species and fisher, from three fishing communities of Yucatan, Mexico, to contrast the following models: (i) random selection, (ii) economic motivation, and (iii) changes in resource availability. Our results show that fishers do not operate at random but consider information on resource availability and revenues generated from previous trips before selecting or shifting a target. We compare the results among communities and also use the proposed models to predict changes in fishing effort levels given changes in species price and catch per unit effort. We stress the importance of understanding fishers' behavior when it comes to developing appropriate management policies.