Modeling the Decision-Making Behavior of Fishers in the Reef Fish Fishery on the West Coast of Florida

When, where, and how a commercial vessel fishes determines the temporal and spatial placement of the data they are legally bound to supply to management agencies. Data provided by commercial fishing vessels are used in assessments to infer fish population abundance. Fisher decision-making may also allow fishers to dissipate the benefits of regulations and affect expected management outcomes. Decisions about participation, site choice, and trip termination were modeled for commercial fishers in the Gulf of Mexico. Vessel logbook data were used to parameterize discrete choice models for each decision. A questionnaire of vessel captains (N = 40) helped inform model structure. Results suggested that participation and site choice decisions may be nested, and are affected by expected revenue, regulations, fish price, wind speed, vessel characteristics, and fuel price. Trip termination was influenced by regulations, wind speed, and catch relative to fish hold capacity. Assessment and management implications are discussed.