Evaluation of the bioeconomic sustainability of multi-species multi-fleet fisheries under a wide range of policy options using ISIS-Fish

In order to provide reliable scientific advice and support for fisheries management, it is necessary to evaluate the biological and economic sustainability of complex fisheries, such as multi-species multi-fleet fisheries. Existing policy-screening modelling tools are not fully suitable in this purpose due to either an over-simplified description of population dynamics, or due to the lack of consideration of economic aspects. In this paper, we present a package that enables quantitative bioeconomic assessment of management scenarios. Population dynamics is described through spatially- and seasonally-explicit models. Exploitation dynamics is characterized by several fishing activities with specific spatial and seasonal features, and practiced by several kinds of vessels with specific technical characteristics. Exploitation costs and revenues are considered at several levels: the fishing trip, the fishing unit (vessel and crew), and the vessel owner. The model is generic and can be used for different types of fisheries. A database is attached to the software for the storage and updating of information for each fishery. This includes the specification of model dimensions and of the parameters describing populations and exploitation. Several model assumptions regarding either population or exploitation may be adapted to suit a specific fishery. Both policies and corresponding fishers’ response may be interactively specified through JAVA™ scripts. This version of ISIS-Fish allows for the calculation of biological and economic consequences of a range of policies, including conventional ones like catch and effort controls, and alternative policies such as marine protected areas. To facilitate policy-screening in a high-dimension parameter space, the software includes features, like interfaces for sensitivity analysis and simulation queues.