An economic analysis of fishing operations in coastal Karnataka
- 2000
- p.329-47
- Jul-Dec
The paper presents a case of increasing fluctuations of income and profitability in operating fishing gears with the introduction of multiple types of fishing technologies in an open access situation. The study examines the impact of introduction of deep sea fishing technologies on the economic viability of small-scale fishing. The analysis shows that in terms of profitability, small fishing units operating in `less than 50 metre depth' zones generate much higher employment, though deep sea vessels have higher absolute levels of profit and internal rate of return. Further, small-scale fishing gears were found to be more susceptible to loss of revenue from fish production and/or increased operating costs than deep-sea vessels, indicating the eventual decline of some of the traditional gears. The negative revenue impact of higher supply is more for larger vessels compared with smaller vessels, as shown by the inverse demand function. The standard deviation, as a measure of risk, represents lower risk for shore-seines compared with trawlers. - Reproduced