The Texas bay shrimp industry : a description and management model

Abstract

The bay and gulf waters of Texas are being subjected to ever greater levels of fishing effort, and these pressures are contributing to an accelerating conflict over use of the shrimp resource in these waters. The major conflicting groups are bay shrimpers and gulf shrimpers. Little research has been undertaken to data and limited information is available relative to the bay shrimp segment of the industry. In this study, the Texas shrimp industry is described, with particular emphasis on the bay shrimp fleet. A bio-economic model which simulates the Texas shrimp fishery and the bay and gulf fleets is developed and discussed. The predictive power of the model is demonstrated and used to evaluate economic impacts of several management policies which have been suggested for dealing with the management of the Texas shrimp fishery in general and the conflict between bay and gulf users, specifically. Based on the model and conventional economic theory, implications for boat and vessel owners and public fishery management planners are reported. Among important implications of the analysis is the finding that the brown shrimp fishery in Texas waters appears to be at or near the limits of its productive capacity. Several management alternatives, involving reduced fishing effort and othe regulatory changes, offer substantial expected net gains to society from a direct financial standpoint. Perhaps the most important implication of this research is that it may not be necessary to consider management of the Texas shrimp fishery only in terms of an adversary relationship relative to bay and gulf users. Several model simulations imply that it is possible to institute management policies than can benefit both user groups, and the consuming public as well.