Managing risks and trade-offs in multispecies fisheries: the role of trophic control and price asymmetry

Abstract

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) aims to balance ecological and economic goals while employing precautionary measures to address uncertainties in knowledge and management. This study investigates fishing strategies to achieve this balance while minimizing the associated risks. Using a simplified prey-predator model, we explored various scenarios reflecting the diversity of global fisheries. The model integrates key ecological dynamics (bottom-up and top-down forces), economic factors (price structures), and aggregates the diversity of fishing practices by distributing fishing mortality across species. Our findings reveal that predators are always more affected by fishing than prey, regardless of the effort distribution. High yields are achieved by reducing predator densities--either maximizing predator catches when they are highly valued or reducing predation pressure to enhance prey harvests when prey prices are high. Such strategies result in significant ecological impacts, leading to systematic trade-offs. Elevated prey prices and top-down controlled systems intensify these trade-offs, increasing ecological risks. Regarding uncertainties, we demonstrate that maximizing yields poses risks to both biodiversity and profitability. Reconciliation is challenging but feasible when both species are fished. This balance can be achieved only in bottom-up controlled systems where prey valuation is not disproportionately high compared to predator prices.