Record Details
Entrepreneurship, policy, and resource use : the production of and competition for salmon
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Entrepreneurship, policy, and resource use : the production of and competition for salmon |
| Names |
Clark, Jerry E., 1949-
(creator) Johnston, Richard S. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1985-07-01 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1986 |
| Abstract | Fisheries economics is a recognized body of research which is characterized by the joint study of economics, the biological characteristics of fishery resources, and the policies (regulations) used in the management of fisheries. This thesis is composed of three papers, each of which is primarily associated with one of the three areas just mentioned. The three papers form a unified whole by their concern with the manner in which the salmon species of the northeast Pacific ocean, and specifically, the salmon in and about the Columbia River, are reared, harvested, and publicly managed. The first paper (Chapter II) examines certain theoretical issues associated with the open access characteristics of most fisheries. The primary conclusion of the paper is that standard policy tools proffered by economists to solve the inefficiency associated with open access, will not likely succeed. Property rights are then shown to be a unique means to structure incentives for resource use, including the discovery of efficient uses for resources. Chapter III examines a biological attribute associated with the production of salmon, namely, the relationship between the number of hatchery fish released into the ocean, and the subsequent number of harvestable adults. This aspect has become an important issue with the emergence of large private salmon aquacultural facilities, an entrepreneurial act anticipated in Chapter II, and examined in some detail in Chapter IV. The study attempts to determine if the number of adults actually has been reduced by increasing releases of hatchery fish. A non-standard regression technique(Law of the Minimum) is employed to estimate the functional form of the relationship between hatchery releases, ocean conditions, and harvestable adults. Finally, Chapter IV is a critical review of economists' concern with the policy implications of their research. It is demonstrated that economists can not define the optimal use of resources, nor specify policies which will lead to the optimal use of resources. It is further argued that the economics profession is now itself an important component of the factors which affect resource usage in the open access case. Thus, economists themselves need to be studied when the purpose of the research is to understand how resources with weakly defined property rights (open access) are employed. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Salmon fisheries -- Columbia River -- Economic aspects |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/25834 |
