Scope and Compatibility of Measures in International Fisheries Agreements

We set up a model which captures the spatial dimension of international fisheries in legal (i.e. internationally accessible high seas versus state-owned exclusive economic zones) and biological (i.e. various intensities of fish migration between zones) terms. We compare the success of regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) for consistent and various forms of inconsistent management options, related to limitations of scope and compatibility of measures. While the performance of an RFMO declines in the presence of inconsistent management, participation might improve as free-riding becomes less attractive and the overall net effect may well be positive. This suggests to first broaden participation before deepening fishery treaties.