Panic-Based Overfishing in Transboundary Fisheries

Abstract

This paper analyses sustainability of bilateral harvesting agreements in transboundary fisheries. Harvesting countries obtain public and private assessments regarding their stock of fish, and the stock experiences ecological changes. In addition to biological uncertainty, countries may face strategic uncertainty. A country that receives negative assessments about the current level of fish stock, may become 'pessimistic' about the assessment of the other coastal state, and this can ignite 'panic-based' overfishing. The paper examines the likelihood of overfishing and suggests a unique prediction about the possibility of abiding by bilateral fishing agreements. Conditions under which the outcome of the asymmetric-information model reduces to the symmetric-information game are discussed, and optimal policy instruments for intergovernmental management of the stock are offered.

Asymmetry across international borders: Research, fishery and management trends and economic value of the giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas)

“…Incomplete and asymmetric scientific research may be impacting perceptions on the status of GSB populations for fishers and fishery managers and hinder their willingness to co-operate in shared resource management (Miller & Munro, 2002;Munro, 2018;Vosooghi, 2019). Although this asymmetry in scientific knowledge may not be exclusive to the GSB fishery, it likely has affected fishery management on one side of the border and conservation efforts on the other side.…”

Are we ready to track climate‐driven shifts in marine species across international boundaries? ‐ A global survey of scientific bottom trawl data

“…Long‐term global monitoring datasets are essential to develop transboundary science, and offer opportunities to improve the management and conservation of migrating transboundary species (Box 2). Under global change, migrating species create a potential for economic and political conflicts (Mendenhall et al., 2020), and may lead to species overexploitation or collapse in the case of lack of adaptation and cooperation (Miller & Munro, 2004; Oremus et al., 2020; Pershing et al., 2015; Pinsky et al., 2018; Vosooghi, 2019). The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides the legal framework for international obligations towards safeguarding marine resources.…”

Patterns of Mangrove Resource Uses within the Transboundary Conservation Area of Kenya and Tanzania

“…This is because international borders are political and thus any shared resources are separated and put under different management regimes. Marine ecosystems including mangroves are often characterized by unsustainable resource use patterns leading to habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, and increased suffering to people depending on them [12][13][14][15]. In transboundary areas this may even be exacerbated because of lack of enforcement and other governance priorities for such border regions [16].…”