Harvest control rule vs optimal harvesting of an age-structured population: The case of the Ibero-Atlantic Sardine Fishery

Research Masters

In this study we apply an age-structured bio-economic model to the Ibero-Atlantic sardine stock, and compute an optimal harvesting strategy. We compare it with the ongoing harvest control rule, which overlooks economic incentives. We show that the optimal plan entails greater net returns from the fishery, though at a cost of reducing biomass below acceptable reference points. By incorporating precautionary constraints, we find that an optimal plan still yields higher economic returns, while better adhering to stock-recovery objectives.