Distributional performance of individual harvest rights holders in a small-scale lobster fishery

The distributional performance involves how the benefits and costs spreads among individuals, groups or even communities. It has been recognized as an important aspect in the pursuit of the sustainable management of fisheries,... [ view full abstract ]

The distributional performance involves how the benefits and costs spreads among individuals, groups or even communities. It has been recognized as an important aspect in the pursuit of the sustainable management of fisheries, hence the need for their evaluation. Although there are studies on the distributional aspects of rights based fisheries, those reports have been mostly about ITQ schemes. The distributional performance of fisheries managed under Territorial Use Rights Fishery (TURF) systems has been acknowledged as a relevant topic but has not yet been addressed enough. Therefore, the aim of this work is to present the distributional performance among owners of fishing grounds in the spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery of Punta Allen, Mexico. The local fishing cooperative members were granted exclusive access to individual fishing grounds where artificial shelters are deployed. By providing refuge to lobsters, these bottom devices reduce predation mortality and facilitate lobster harvesting using hand nets by free diving. Inequality metrics (Lorenz curve and Gini index G) were applied to fishing income indicators (revenues, quasi-profits of the variable costs, profits, and resource rent) achieved by fishers in seven lobster seasons (2007-2014). Additionally, a comparative analysis of resource rent achieved by individual fishing grounds owners of different age groups was performed. Finally, the Punta Allen lobster fishery inequality was compared with other fisheries for which their Gini indexes have been reported. This comparison took into account the Gini index and the management system of the identified fisheries. The G index of the fishing revenues showed low values (0.387±0.017) and a stable trend in the seven lobster seasons analyzed. Although the G index of the resource rent among campo owners had the highest value (0.490), there were no statistically significant differences in the resource rent earned by age groups of individual fishing grounds owners. This study showed that the lobster fishery of Punta Allen presented lower inequality values than other fisheries and intergenerational equity among current lobster fishers.