The wrong fish: maneuvering the boundaries of market-based resource management

Dobeson, Alexander

doi:10.1080/17530350.2018.1426031

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…With increasing digitalization of production networks and the emergence of electronic auction markets, however, network ties between fishers and processors are weakened, and quality uncertainty is increased on the buyer's side [Graham 1998]. To substitute for the lack of interpersonal trust based on long-term relations and contracts in spatially dispersed markets, commercial buyers welcome the use of digital tracking websites that allow for real-time surveillance of individual vessels and the "scopic" valuation of quality [Dobeson 2016]. In the final consumer market, knowledge and expertise in quality assessment are typically low, and consumers generally have to rely on their personal judgment of the physical appearance of the fish or on "judgment devices" [Karpik 2010], such as best-before dates and the reputation of brands, labels, or fishmongers.…”

Section: Fresh Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, the supply of raw materials for fresh fish processing and production can be limited due to exogenous factors. For instance, fish stocks can move or be depleted, or fishing efforts can be limited by political regulations and conservation measures [Dobeson 2018]. Nevertheless, markets for fresh and chilled fish allow smaller to medium sized companies without substantial storage facilities to engage in flexible adaptation and just-in-time production.…”

Section: Fresh Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Why durability matters? Towards a Comparative Economic Sociology of Market Organization

Dobeson

Kohl²

2020

Arch. eur. sociol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What can a good’s durability tell us about its market organization? This paper argues that the socially expected durability of goods is one of their most important features. It illuminates temporal and material aspects of market organization and social change across different markets. While recent literature in the sociology of markets tends to emphasize financial goods, intangible assets, and the service economy, markets for material durable and nondurable consumer goods are still surprisingly pervasive in everyday life and in the household economy, as well as in modern economies’ basic infrastructure. Based on a comparison of the extreme cases of durable housing and fresh fish markets, we come to the general finding that the higher a good’s expected durability, the smaller the share of its new production will be and the larger its aftermarkets. Furthermore, it will be more tightly linked to credit and insurance markets, and its market will be more volatile in the short-term, but more inert in the long-term. Beyond this static distinction, we show how socio-technical mechanisms can “durabilize” or “dedurabilize” goods and hence change their market form. By comparing markets along the durability dimension, this paper contributes to a comparative sociology of market organization that goes beyond single-market studies, while at the same time opening up space for a more dynamic understanding of social change and market segmentation over time.

show abstract

Section: Fresh Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fresh Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why durability matters? Towards a Comparative Economic Sociology of Market Organization

Dobeson

Kohl²

2020

Arch. eur. sociol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studying the role of such devices in the construction of markets for fishing quotas (ITQs), Holm () and Holm and Nolde Nielsen () have underscored the reorganising effects of modern resource economics on market‐based fisheries in which the fishers no longer ‘go hunting for the fattest fish’ as ‘the fish goes hunting for the best owners’ (Holm , p. 237) – an aspect further elaborated by Cardwell (), highlighting the disciplining aspects of ITQs on UK fishers. Likewise, Dobeson () has shown how fishers skilfully manipulate their socio‐technical environment to synchronise the ITQ market with the movement of fish stocks, leading to a never‐ending cycle of problem‐solving and socio‐technical breakdowns that reconfigure the cultural boundaries of production.…”

Section: Markets In Rural Economiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the ‘practice turn’ (Schatzki et al . ) in current sociology, special attention has been paid to the role of daily economic ‘coping’ with the socio‐technical environment of market‐based resource management (Dobeson ).…”

Section: A Relational Ethnography Of the Icelandic Small‐boat Fisherymentioning

confidence: 99%

Economising the Rural: How New Markets and Property Rights Transform Rural Economies

Dobeson

2018

Sociologia Ruralis

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How do new markets and property rights transform rural economies? Based on an ethnographic case study of the Icelandic fisheries, this article shows how the organisation of markets for fishing rights and fresh fish has transformed the rural periphery into a globally entangled site of investments, valuation and exchange. The empirical material shows, on one hand, how the economisation of the traditional small-boat fisheries has disentangled locally bound fishers into independent market actors and investors; and on the other hand, how daily economic coping re-entangles fishers into a new web of money-mediated relations and debt that pushes them to economise their operations for the purpose of increasing profit-making in order to stay afloat. While economisation has led to a general valorisation of small boats and the construction of a 'quality'oriented market niche, fishing communities of the rural periphery maintain their struggle to survive in a new and volatile culture of liberal rural capitalism.

show abstract

“…One possible response, continuing to fish but discarding excess catch, has negative consequences and is now prohibited in many fisheries ( 3 , 4 ). Purchasing additional quota can help but is sometimes not possible: If trade is prohibited for broader reasons ( 5 ), a particular quota is scarce due to a systemwide imbalance ( 6 , 7 ), or frictional trading costs are high. Then harvesters may have to choose between illegal discarding and forfeiting unused quota.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Catch–quota matching allowances balance economic and ecological targets in a fishery managed by individual transferable quota

Oostdijk

Byrne

Stefánsson

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fishers with individual catch quota, but limited control over the mix of species caught, depend on trade and catch–quota balancing allowances to fully utilize their quota without discarding. However, these allowances can theoretically lead to overfishing if total allowable catches (TACs) are consistently exceeded. This study investigates usage of balancing allowances by the Icelandic demersal fleet over 2001–2017, for over 1,900 vessels. When a vessel’s demersal catch exceeds owned and leased quota for a given species, the gap can be bridged by borrowing quota from the subsequent fishing period or transforming unutilized quota in other species, restricted by limits. Conversely, excess quota can be saved or transformed into quota for species where there is a shortfall. We found evidence that balancing behavior is frequently similar across the fleet. Transformations are consistent with indicators of a general quota shortage and potential for arbitrage caused by differences in conversion ratios used for transformation and lease prices. Larger companies contribute more to these patterns. Nevertheless, TAC overages are generally modest especially in recent years—key reasons appear to be the tightening of vessel transformation limits and the central role of Atlantic cod, which is the main target species but cannot be persistently overfished due to a specific prohibition on positive transformations into the species. These results show how the tailored design of the Icelandic catch–quota balancing system has helped in balancing economic and ecological goals of management. We suggest policy changes that could further reduce ecological risks, e.g., prioritizing between-year transfers over transformations.

show abstract

The wrong fish: maneuvering the boundaries of market-based resource management

Cited by 5 publications

References 44 publications

Why durability matters? Towards a Comparative Economic Sociology of Market Organization

Why durability matters? Towards a Comparative Economic Sociology of Market Organization

Economising the Rural: How New Markets and Property Rights Transform Rural Economies

Catch–quota matching allowances balance economic and ecological targets in a fishery managed by individual transferable quota

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About