The individual-based model simulations have only computational capacity to follow about 50,000 super-individuals [46] and [47]. We therefore scale up this modelled population by a scaling factor of 80,000 which can recreate the appropriate stock levels in the natural population [3]. All model predictions reported below, such as SSB and catch, are given for this scaled

population, and thus are directly comparable to the observed data. The main components of the economic sub-model are the functions describing demand, costs, and production. All analyses in this section are further explained in Richter et al. [27]. Individual vessel data for 1990–2000 were used to estimate costs and production for the component of the Norwegian trawler fleet this website that caught cod north of 62°N. These data, collected by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries (Bergen, Norway), are described in more detail in Sandberg [48]. The NEA cod fishery contributes

a large part of Selleckchem IPI 145 the world’s cod landings and therefore affects the international market price for cod. To describe this relationship, a linear demand function is given by equation(5) Pt=p¯−bHt,where P  t is the price for cod in year t  , H  t is the total harvested biomass in year t   (as determined by the TAC), and p¯ and b are parameters. The production function is estimated as a Cobb–Douglas function [49] and [50]; accordingly, the catch of vessel i in year t is given by equation(6) hi,t=qei,tβBtα,where q is a catchability coefficient, and ei,t is the fishing effort of vessel i in year t. In this model, effort is measured in efficiency units and given by the number of days a vessel is fishing cod north of 62°N multiplied by the vessel’s gross tonnage, so that differences in operational intensity are taken into account [51]. The parameter α is the stock-output

elasticity and β is the effort-output elasticity, describing, respectively, the percentage change in harvests caused by a percentage change in stock biomass or fishing effort. The costs Ci,t incurred by vessel i in year t are given by the inflation-corrected sum of cost components multiplied by the fraction of days the vessel has fished cod, as opposed to other species; the result is split before into fixed costs cf and variable costs cvei,t according to equation(7) Ci,t=cf+cvei,tCi,t=cf+cvei,t Multiplying the catch hi,t of vessel i with the price of cod Pt yields the revenue Pthi,t of vessel i. The profit πi,t of vessel i is then given by offsetting this revenue with the costs Ci,t of vessel i, equation(8) πi,t=Pthi,t−Ci,tπi,t=Pthi,t−Ci,t For NEA cod, the effort-output elasticity β   is smaller than 1, so there is a trade-off between allowing more vessels to enter the fishing grounds (vessels can then harvest less on average, but do so more efficiently) and allowing larger individual catches per vessel (vessels can then invest their fixed costs more economically).