Simulating trade-offs between socio-economic and conservation objectives for Lake Victoria (East Africa) using multispecies, multifleet ecosystem models
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Fisheries Research
Abstract
Most small scale inland fisheries worldwide are open access, and fishing provides the only source of employment
and livelihood for the riparian communities. Management of these fisheries requires information on trade-offs
between fish production, profits from fishing, employment, and conservation objectives. We use the non-linear
optimization procedure in Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modelling package to determine long-term, gear-specific
fishing effort that can maximize economic, social, and conservation objectives for Lake Victoria (East Africa).
Then, the resulting “optimal fishing effort” levels are applied in both EwE and Atlantis models to simulate longterm
changes in the ecosystem. Results show profit maximization to be more compatible with conservation
objectives than is the maximization of catch (or employment). However, maximizing economic value, while
maintaining ecosystem structure, would require a reduction in fishing effort of almost every fishing gear. This
trade-off can be severe (high social cost) for fishing communities with limited alternative livelihoods. This study
provides an understanding of relative risks and benefits of various management objectives, which will enable
stakeholders and the public to conduct informed discussions on future management policies.
Description
Keywords
Conservation, Ecopath with Ecosim, Lake Victoria, Optimal policy, search Trade-offs, Socio-economics
Citation
Natugonza, V., Ainsworth, C., Sturludóttir, E., Musinguzi, L., Ogutu-Ohwayo, R., Tomasson, T., ... & Stefansson, G. (2020). Simulating trade-offs between socio-economic and conservation objectives for Lake Victoria (East Africa) using multispecies, multifleet ecosystem models. Fisheries Research, 229, 105593.