M.S. - Agricultural and Resource Economics

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Technical efficiency and economic characteristics of the Hawaiʻi-based domestic longline fishery : a stochastic frontier production analysis

( 2005) Edwards, Quincy A.

The effective management and regulation of pelagic fisheries remains an enduring challenge to the world's fishery services. The determination of baseline economic and operational characteristics of fishing vessels is valuable when considering fishery policy. Findings of this study conclude that vessels targeting swordfish tend to earn higher gross revenues both on a per trip and on an annual basis. These earnings are offset by the considerably higher variable costs facing swordfish vessels than their tuna counterparts. Among surveyed vessels, tuna fishers faced a higher debt load-on older vessels in conjunction with 20 percent higher labor expenditures. In 1996, the mean technical efficiency was estimated to be 0.76 with 56 percent of the vessels achieving 0.80 or greater. The estimate of the 2000 Hawaii-based domestic longline fleet's mean technical efficiency was 0.81 with 64 percent achieving a technical efficiency of 0.80 or higher.