Trading on extinction : an open-access deterrence model for the South African abalone fishery
dc.contributor.author | Crookes, Douglas | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2016-05-26T10:59:10Z | |
dc.date.available | 2016-05-26T10:59:10Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2016-03 | |
dc.description | This article forms part of a 3-year project studying new approaches to model the economics of scarce resources. | en_ZA |
dc.description.abstract | South African rhinoceros (e.g. Diceros bicornis) and abalone (Haliotis midae) have in common that they both are harvested under open-access conditions, are high-value commodities and are traded illegally. The difference is that a legal market for abalone already exists. An open-access deterrence model was developed for South African abalone, using Table Mountain National Park as a case study. It was found that illegal poaching spiked following the closure of the recreational fishery. The resource custodian’s objective is to maximise returns from confiscations. This study showed that a legal trade results in a ‘trading on extinction’ resource trap, with a race for profits, an increase in the probability of detection after a poaching event and the depletion of populations. In contrast with HS Gordon’s seminal article (J Polit Econ 1954;62:124–142), profit maximisation does not automatically improve the sustainability of the resource. Under certain conditions (e.g. a legal trade with costly enforcement), profit maximisation may actually deplete abalone populations. The article also has implications for rhino populations, as a legal trade is currently proposed. | en_ZA |
dc.description.department | Economics | en_ZA |
dc.description.librarian | am2016 | en_ZA |
dc.description.sponsorship | The National Research Foundation (South Africa) | en_ZA |
dc.description.uri | http://www.sajs.co.za | en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation | Crookes DJ. Trading on extinction: An open-access deterrence model for the South African abalone fishery. South African Journal of Science. 2016 ; 112(3/4), Art. #2015-0237, 9 pages. http://dx.DOI.org/ 10.17159/sajs.2016/20150237. | en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn | 0038-2353 (print) | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1996-7489 (online) | |
dc.identifier.other | 10.17159/sajs.2016/20150237 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52762 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
dc.publisher | AOSIS Open Journals | en_ZA |
dc.rights | © 2016. The Author(s). Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence. | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Rhino | en_ZA |
dc.subject | System dynamics | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Illegal harvesting | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Predator–prey | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Table Mountain National Park | en_ZA |
dc.subject | South African abalone | en_ZA |
dc.subject | South African rhinoceros | en_ZA |
dc.title | Trading on extinction : an open-access deterrence model for the South African abalone fishery | en_ZA |
dc.type | Article | en_ZA |