FishSET: A New Tool for Better Utilization of Fisher Location and Participation Choice Models in Fisheries Management

Since the 1980s, fisheries economists have employed discrete choice models in a variety of fisheries to attempt to better understand and statistically explain what factors influence the spatial and participation choices that fishermen make on the fishing grounds.  A better understanding of this behavior is useful for predicting how fishermen will respond to the creation of marine reserves or other time-area closures, to changes in fuel costs or fish prices, or to various management actions such as catch share programs.

While a significant amount of research has been done in this area and this research has informed our understanding of how fishers make decisions, little empirical research has actually made its way directly into the fisheries management decision making process.  Currently, NMFS and partners are developing the Spatial Fisheries Economics Toolbox (FishSET), which aims to facilitate the better integration of discrete choice models into the management process.  Components of the tool will allow for easier and better model development, application, and comparison. 

An initial and significant challenge to implementing location choice models is the task of integrating data for models from numerous sources that may be overlapping and of variable quality.  The first major component of the FishSET project is to establish best practices of data management and organization.  Working with economists and data management staff from all NMFS regions as well as academic model developers, we are developing tools to improve data organization methods and standardization.    

A second core component of this project is the development of a package of estimation routines that enables easy comparison of the range of state-of-the-art fisher location choice models (e.g., mixed logit, DRUM, EPM, etc.).  As well as allowing for the easier application of these models to real problems, the FishSET package will enable new advances in the research literature to be more easily and robustly tested and then widely applied when the advances are effective in improving predictions of fisher behavior.  FishSET will efficiently organize statistical code so that work developed by the field’s leading innovators can build on each other’s work and be transparent and available to all users. 

In sum, FishSET aims to provide the data integration, programming tools, and institutional development to regularly utilize fisher location and participation choice models where appropriate in fisheries management throughout the country.  In this talk, we discuss project results to date and the details of project implementation.