The inability of fishers to avoid bycatch when operating in a multispecies
fishery can create problems when the bycatch species itself is the subject
of conservation-based controls. Increased protection of the bycatch species
can only be achieved through a reduction in the overall catch of the fishe
ry. Such a problem has arisen in the Australian south east fishery where th
e stock of one bycatch species has fallen substantially over recent years.
A model of the fishery was used to estimate the costs of protecting the rem
aining stock and the potential commercial benefits from the recovery of the
stock. The analysis suggests that the costs of protecting the stock may be
greater than the commercial benefits arising from a recovered stock. Non-m
arket benefits of stock conservation are not included in the model analysis
, but are considered in the discussion. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All
rights reserved.