Increasing returns and cycles in fishing

We consider optimal fishery management under the assumption of increasing returns that is supported by previous empirical evidence. We improve the tractability and realism of the previous approaches by introducing flow adjustment costs on changes in harvest rate. Our framework is the first to provide a link between stable limit cycle policies and increasing returns in harvesting. The type of the harvest policy depends on flow adjustment costs: for relatively costly adjustments the usual steady state harvest policy is conceivable, whereas for relatively cheap adjustments the harvest policy is cyclical. We also show a connection between chattering control policies and limit cycles, which helps us to develop a clear economic meaning for cyclical harvesting. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.