Optimal Intra- and Interseasonal Harvesting Strategies when Price Varies with Individual Size

Abstract

A major concept in fisheries management is the optimal age for first capture. Because there can be separate market categories for fish of different sizes and different costs for their harvest, a more rational statement of the problem would be to find the optimal range of harvest sizes in any given year. Two models for solving this problem are presented. The shrimp model discusses optimal harvest of a single cohort of shrimp as it grows through a season. The lobster model discusses optimal simultaneous harvest of several cohorts over several seasons. The difficulty of defining a cost per fish in the lobster model makes it a much more complex undertaking.