Specialist and Generalist: Roles for Coping with Variability

Abstract

Two behavior patterns of fishermen, specialist and generalist, are evaluated as ways of coping with market and natural variability. Changes in these behaviors predicted by an analytical model are evaluated against data from several fisheries. The predictions and the data suggest that a mix of specialist and generalist fishing behavior is a way of coping with unpredictability. Management usually regards fishing behavior as homogeneous; as a result, many management rules discriminate against one type of behavior or the other.