Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 29 July 1977:
Vol. 197. no. 4302, pp. 463 - 465
DOI: 10.1126/science.197.4302.463
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Harvesting Natural Populations in a Randomly Fluctuating Environment

J. R. BEDDINGTON 1 and ROBERT M. MAY 2

1 Biology Department, University of York, York, Y01 5DD England
2 Biology Department, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540

As harvesting effort and yield are increased, animal populations that are being harvested for sustained yield will take longer to recover from environmentally imposed disturbances. One consequence is that the coefficient of variation (the relative variance) of the yield increases as the point of maximum sustained yield (MSY) is approached. When overexploitation has resulted in a population smaller than that for MSY, high effort produces a low average yield with high variance. These observations accord with observed trends in several fish and whaling industries. We expect these effects to be more pronounced for a harvesting strategy based on constant quotas than for one based on constant effort. Although developed in a MSY context, the conclusions also apply if the aim is to maximize the present value of (discounted) net economic revenue.

Submitted on November 8, 1976
Revised on January 19, 1977


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Insurance mechanisms to mediate economic risks in marine fisheries.
J. D. Mumford, A. W. Leach, P. Levontin, and L. T. Kell (2009)
ICES J. Mar. Sci. 66, 950-959
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Achieving Sustainable Use of Renewable Resources.
A. A. Rosenberg, M. J. Fogarty, M. P. Sissenwine, J. R. Beddington, and J. G. Shepherd (1993)
Science 262, 828-829
   PDF »
Modeling Long-Term Fluctuations in Fish Stocks.
J. H. STEELE and E. W. HENDERSON (1984)
Science 224, 985-987
   PDF »
Management of Multispecies Fisheries.
R. M. May, J. R. Beddington, C. W. Clark, S. J. Holt, and R. M. Laws (1979)
Science 205, 267-277
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)