OPTIMAL CONTROL STRATEGIES TO REDUCE SEA LION BYCATCH IN SQUID FISHING

Strategies to minimise sea lion bycatch in the squid fishing industries require a combination of exploiting the spatial and temporal characteristics of both squid and sea lions. Optimal control theory provides a useful starting point to develop feasible strategies to efficiently manage the resource. If these proposed strategies are successful, then the fishing industry will be self-governing meaning that there is less need for drastic external legislative act ion such as prematurely closing the fishing season. This paper develops a dynamic bio-economics model and compares various management strategies including optimal control to ensure that both the squid fishing industry and the sea lion population are sustainable.