Course:FRE523/Syllabus

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COURSE INFORMATION

Class Time:          Jan 8th – Feb 16th

Mondays and Wednesday, 10:00 – 11:30

Classroom:          MCML 154           

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, we examine the interdependence between our economies and natural ecosystems. We analyze resource extraction, depletion, protection and management in the context of world fisheries and aquaculture, which provide employment for not fewer than 120 million persons, with most to be found in developing fishing states. We focus on the efficiency of economic decision- making and the deviations from efficient outcomes, commonly observed in these contexts. We also discuss the causes of these failures, and use an analytical framework to examine the choices faced by policy-makers as they strive to correct these failures, and bring about fisheries that are capable of making a substantial and sustainable contribution to the world economy and food supply.

INSTRUCTOR

Fisheries (Part One) – Gordon Munro

Email: gordon.munro@ubc.ca

Office Hours: To be announced.


Fisheries and aquaculture (Part Two) – Rashid Sumaila

Email: r.sumaila@fisheries.ubc.ca

Office Hours: To be announced.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  1. Identify inefficiencies arising from “open access” natural resources.
  2. Build a dynamic based framework to analyze the optimal exploitation of the natural resource.
  3. Identify the specific economic dynamics influencing use of trans-boundary aquatic resources.
  4. Identify the production, and non-market interactions between wild and farmed fisheries.
  5. Use the course framework to analyze fishery policies in terms of their market and non-market costs and benefits.
  6. Gain knowledge of, critique, and evaluate local, national and world fishery issues.

PREREQUISITE

FRE 502: Food Market Analysis or FRE 501: Commodity Markets and Price Analysis

CLASS FORMAT

12 lectures of 1.5 hours, twice a week for 6 weeks.

ASSESSMENTS

Your grade shall be determined as follows:

Exams and Problem Sets Date Percent of Grade
Two assignments Assignment 1: Release on Jan 17;

                          Due on Feb 2

Assignment 2: Due on Feb 16

50%
Exam During the Week of Feb 27 40%
Class Participation Contributions to class discussions 10%
TOTAL 100%

Assignments

The assignments will consist of one problem set and one short essay. The problem set will require the students to build a framework to analyze the optimal exploitation of the natural resource and to analyze fishery policies in terms of their market and non-market costs and benefits. The short essay will allow the students to gain knowledge of, critique, and evaluate local and topical fishery issues.

Exam

Students will take one exam covering the fisheries section. The exam will last 120 minutes, and will be comprehensive (will cover both sections). You must take the exam at the scheduled time unless you have another exam at the same time, serious illness, or an emergency. You must validate with documentation the reason(s) why you will be unable to take any exam. There shall be two assignments.

Class Participation

The class participation grade depends on your contribution to class discussions. All contribution is appreciated, even asking questions to clarify previously taught material. The sole aim of assigning a participation grade is to encourage active learning for everyone. The instructors will assign the class participation grade.

Online Course Material

Available at Canvas. You are required to regularly login to your course page for FRE 523. Your syllabus, course-lecture slides, additional material, announcements, assignments, and grades will be available on Canvas.

Course Outline and Readings

How to use this course outline: This outline is a collection of papers, and topics commonly taught in resource economics. Wherever possible a stable link to the paper is provided. While some of these links will work anywhere, many of them are digitally protected requiring a subscription. You can access this material by logging in through your account at the UBC library, or on any computer connected via Ethernet on the UBC network. For some articles no link is provided, in that case, please search for the article (if you search via the UBC library you will find access to its electronic version).

COURSE SCHEDULE

Text:

·        Trond Bjørndal and Gordon Munro, The Economics and the Management of World Fisheries, Oxford University Press, 2012

Week 1

Lecture I – Jan 8 (Gordon Munro)

State of world captures fisheries and aquaculture. Review of the evolution of the world capture fisheries management problem and of the relevant international law. The biological underpinnings of economic models of capture fisheries.

·        Text: Chapter 1

·        Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022, Part 1. http://www.fao.org/3/ca9229en/ca9229en.pdf

·        The World Bank, The Sunken Billions Revisited, 2017, Chapters 1 and 2

·        R. Hilborn, R. Amoroso, C. Anderson et al., " Effective fisheries management instrumental in improving fish stock status", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), January 28, 2020. This is an online publication, which the students can obtain simply by going to Google.

o   https://www.pnas.org/content/117/4/2218.short


Lecture II – Jan 10 (Gordon Munro)

The static economic model of capture fisheries – Gordon-Schaefer model.  Impact upon policy makers. Limitations of the model –according to H. Scott Gordon.

·        Text: Chapter 2

·        The World Bank, The Sunken Billions Revisited, 2017, Chapter 3.

Week 2

Lectures III and IV – Jan 15 and 17 (Gordon Munro)

The dynamic (capital theoretic) model of the capture fishery.  Basic model, and extensions to the model.

·        Text: Chapters 3 and 4; Chapter 5, pp. 106-115

·        Clark, C. and G. Munro, Capital Theory and the Economics of Fisheries: Implications for Policy (2017), Marine Resource Economics, vol. 32:2

o   https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/690679

·        OECD, Rebuilding Fisheries: The Way Forward, 2012, Chapter 2, pp.15-43

o   https://www.oecd.org/publications/rebuilding-fisheries-9789264176935-en.htm


Week 3

Lecture V – Jan 22 (Rashid Sumaila)

Empirical applications of the dynamic economic model of the fishery (confine to intra-EEZ cases)

·        Hartwick, J. M., & Olewiler, N. D. (1998). The Economies of Resource Use (pp. 19-23).

o   http://users.accesscomm.ca/hramsey/econ832/Material/HartwickOlewiler1986-TOC-Ch3.pdf

·        Sumaila, U. R. (2013). Game theory and fisheries: Essays on the tragedy of free for all fishing (Vol. 41). Routledge (Chapters 1 and 3).


Lecture VI – Jan 24 (Rashid Sumaila)

Applications of the theory of the economic management of international capture fisheries: Fisheries subsidies and illegal fishing.

·        Munro, G., & Sumaila, U. R. (2002). The impact of subsidies upon fisheries management and sustainability: the case of the North Atlantic. Fish and fisheries, 3(4), pp. 233-250.

o   https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1467-2979.2002.00081.x

·        Sumaila, U. R., Khan, A. S., Dyck, A. J., Watson, R., Munro, G., Tydemers, P., & Pauly, D. (2010). A bottom-up re-estimation of global fisheries subsidies. Journal of Bioeconomics, 12(3), pp. 201-225.

o   https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10818-010-9091-8

·        Sutinen, J. G., & Kuperan, K. (1999). A socio-economic theory of regulatory compliance. International Journal of Social Economics, 26(1/2/3), pp. 174-193.

·        Sumaila, U. R., Alder, J., & Keith, H. (2006). Global scope and economics of illegal fishing. Marine Policy, 30(6), pp .696-703.

o   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308597X05000795

Week 4 

Lecture VII and VIII – Jan 29 and Jan 31 (Gordon Munro)

The economic management of capture fisheries at the national/regional level

·        Text:  Chapter 6

·        Cisneros-Montemayor, A. M., Sanjurjo, E., Munro, G. R., Hernández-Trejo, V., & Sumaila, U. R. (2015). Strategies and rationale for fishery subsidy reform. Marine Policy.

o   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308597X15002857

·        Grønbæk et al. (2020). Game Theory and Fisheries Management: Theory and Policy. Springer (Chapters 2).

·        Groenbaek, L., Lindroos, M., Munro, G., Pintassilgo, P., & Turris, B. (2022). The avoidance of unwanted catch and cooperation: the case of the British Columbia groundfish trawl fishery. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fac005

Week 5

Lectures IX and X – Feb 5 and Feb 7 (Gordon Munro)

Management of international capture fisheries: theory and policy.

·        Text: Chapters 7 and 8; TBA

·        Munro, G. R. (1979). The optimal management of transboundary renewable resources. Canadian Journal of Economics, 355-376 [available on Google Scholar].

o   https://www.jstor.org/stable/134727?seq=1

·        Grønbæk et al. (2020). Game Theory and Fisheries Management: Theory and Policy. Springer (Chapters 1; 3 and 4).

·        Sumaila, U. R. (1999). A review of game-theoretic models of fishing. Marine Policy, 23(1), 1-10 [available on Google Scholar].

o   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308597X97000456

·        Bailey, M., Sumaila, U. R., & Lindroos, M. (2010). Application of game theory to fisheries over three decades. Fisheries Research, 102(1), 1-8 [available on Google Scholar].

o   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165783609003051

·        Bjørndal, T and Munro, G. (2021). A game theoretic perspective on the management of North Sea fishery resources: Pre and post Brexit. Marine Policy, 132

o   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308597X21002803

Week 6

Lectures XI and XII – Feb 12 and Feb 14 (Rashid Sumaila)

The economics of aquaculture management

·        Jia, B., St-Hilaire, S., Singh, K., & Gardner, I. A. (2016). Farm-level returns and costs of yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) aquaculture in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces, China. Aquaculture Reports, 4, 48-56.

o   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352513416300497

·        Liu, Y., & Sumaila, U. R. (2010). Estimating pollution abatement costs of salmon aquaculture: a joint production approach. Land Economics, 86(3), 569-584.

o   http://le.uwpress.org/content/86/3/569.short

·        Asche, F., & Tveteras, R. (2002). Economics of aquaculture: special issue introduction. Marine Resource Economics, 17(2), 73-75.

·        Shang, Y. C. (1985). Aquaculture economics: An overview. GeoJournal, 10(3), 299-305.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00462130

MFRE PROGRAM - COURSE PROTOCOL POLICIES

Recordings

There is no required distribution of recordings of class. Recording will be provided based upon on the decision of the course instructor. Classes are designed as and are intended to be in‐person.

Copyright

All materials of this course (course handouts, lecture slides, assessments, course readings, etc.) are the intellectual property of the instructor or licensed to be used in this course by the copyright owner. Redistribution of these materials by any means without permission of the copyright holder(s) constitutes a breach of copyright and may lead to academic discipline and could be subject to legal action. Further, audio or video recording of classes are not permitted without the prior consent of the instructor.

Missing Classes/Labs

Students are expected to attend all classes, labs, or workshops. If you cannot make it to a class, lab, or workshop due to a medical or personal emergency, please email your instructor, your course assistant, and Olivier Ntwali, MFRE Program Coordinator ahead of time to let them know.

Respectfulness in the Classroom

Students are expected to be respectful of their colleagues at all times, including faculty, staff and peers. This means being attentive and conscious of words and actions and their impact on others, listening to people with an open mind, treating all MFRE community members equally and understanding diversity.

Respect for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The MFRE Program strives to promote an intellectual community that is enhanced by diversity along various dimensions including status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, social class, and/or disability. It is expected that all students and members of our community conduct themselves with empathy and respect for others.

Centre for Accessibility

The Centre for Accessibility (CfA) facilitates disability‐related accommodations and programming initiatives designed to remove barriers for students with disabilities and ongoing medical conditions. If you are registered with the CfA and are eligible for exam accommodations, it is your responsibility to let Olivier Ntwali, Academic Program Coordinator, and each of your Course Instructors know. You should book your exam writing with the CFA using its exam reservation system: for midterm exams or quizzes, at least 7 days in advance; and final exams, 7 days before the start of the formal exam period.

MFRE PROGRAM - ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICIES

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are taken very seriously in the MFRE program. All incidences of plagiarism will be escalated to the MFRE Academic Director with penalties ranging from a mark of zero on the assignment, exam or course to being required to withdraw from the program. Note: If a student needs to extend his/her program due to a failed course or unsatisfactory progress, they will have to pay the full MFRE tuition fees for that term/s.

Academic misconduct that is subject to disciplinary measures includes, but is not limited, to the following:

  • Plagiarism, which is intellectual theft, occurs where an individual submits or presents the oral or written work of another person as his or her own. In many UBC courses, you will be required to submit material in electronic form. The electronic material will be submitted to a service which UBC subscribes, called TurnItIn. This service checks textual material for originality. It is increasingly used in North American universities. For more information, review TurnItIn website online.
  • Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Bard, or other Generative AI models to generate content or conduct analysis for evaluations, without proper citation and or if asked not to use AI, is considered plagiarism and academic misconduct. If students use AI in their submissions, they must cite the AI generator using citations consistent with the UBC Academic Honesty Standards.
  • Cheating, which may include, but is not limited to falsification of any material subject to academic evaluation, unauthorized collaborative work; or use of unauthorized means to complete an examination.
  • Working with Others on an Assignment: You are encouraged to work with other students, but you must turn in your own individual assignment. If you have an answer that is too close to another student’s answer, this will be considered academic dishonesty and this will be handled according to the MFRE and UBC policies.
  • Resubmission of Material, submitting the same, or substantially the same, essay, presentation, or assignment more than once (whether the earlier submission was at this or another institution) unless prior approval has been obtained from the instructor(s) to whom the assignment is to be submitted.
  • Use of academic ghostwriting services, including hiring of writing or research services and submitting papers or assignments as his or her own.

Student Responsibility: Students are responsible for informing themselves of the guidelines of acceptable and non‐acceptable conduct for examinations and graded assignments as presented via MFRE Code of Conduct; MFRE Turn it in, Course Syllabus, MFRE Instructors; Canvas and UBC academic misconduct policies.

Penalties for Academic Dishonesty: Penalties for academic dishonesty are applied at the discretion of the MFRE program. Incidences of academic misconduct may result in a mark of zero on the assignment, examination, or course, required withdrawal from the program, and/or the matter being is referred to UBC Graduate Studies.