A bioeconomic model of nonselective harvesting of two competing fish species

Abstract

AbstractThis paper deals with the combined bioeconomic harvesting of two competing fish species, each of which obeys the Gompertz law of growth. The catch-rate functions are chosen so as to reflect saturation effects with respect to stock abundance as well as harvesting effort. The stability of the dynamical system is discussed and the existence of a bionomic equilibrium is examined. The optimal harvest policy is studied with the help of Pontryagin's maimum principle. The results are illustrated with the help of a numerical example.