Hedonic evaluation of coral reef fish prices on a direct sale market

Using two-stage Rosen's model, this evaluation aims to deduce the implicit prices of the coral-reef fish species most commonly encountered in road-side market in Moorea (French Polynesia) during 2014–2015, from the prices of bundles of species, called tuis. Index value are calculated which vary, all else equal, between 33% (Selar) and 137% (Acanthurus) of the price of the reference species (Scarus). Estimating translogarithmic specifications allow the identification of positive cross-species elasticities which imply complementarity between reef species in each tui. The composition of tuis is therefore a market strategy to enhance the value of catches. These results demonstrate the relevance of empirical economic analysis in improving the understanding of small-scale coral-reef fisheries in the Pacific.