Nautical Patrol and Illegal Fishing Practices

53 Pages Posted: 20 Feb 2025

See all articles by Stephen Kastoryano

Stephen Kastoryano

University of Reading

Ben Vollaard

CentER, Tilburg University

Abstract

We uncover a hidden illegal fishing practice: the use of fishing nets with illegally small mesh size. The small mesh prevents nearly all fish of saleable size from escaping the net, but also traps a large number of fish which are too small to be sold on the market and are therefore discarded at sea. Our approach relies on readily available data on reported fish landings rather than on data from inspections, which are rare, and which tend to be anticipated by fishermen. We focus on bottom trawling, the world's most widely used fishing method. We exploit the fact that using illegally small mesh size strongly increases the share of small fish in the catch. Using quasi-random variation in nautical patrol as a source of variation in the incentive to comply, we show that in weeks without patrol the share of small fish in the landed catch is systematically larger than in adjacent weeks with patrol. Our results are in line with widespread use of illegally small mesh.

Keywords: environmental economics, regulation, enforcement, fisheries

JEL Classification: D22, K42, Q22

Suggested Citation

Kastoryano, Stephen and Vollaard, Ben, Nautical Patrol and Illegal Fishing Practices. IZA Discussion Paper No. 15543, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5145769 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5145769

Stephen Kastoryano (Contact Author)

University of Reading ( email )

Whiteknights
Reading, RG6 6AH
United Kingdom

Ben Vollaard

CentER, Tilburg University ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
Tilburg, 5000 LE
Netherlands

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
15
Abstract Views
84
PlumX Metrics