Productivity change of the artisanal fishing fleet in Portugal: A Malmquist index analysis

This paper explores the evolution of productivity of the artisanal dredge fleet that operates in the south coast of Portugal. This fleet is considered to be one of the most significant in the sector, essentially due to the volume and value of its catches. In this context, the study carried out sought in first place to determine variation in productivity over a time window of 10 years (between 1995 and 2004). Secondly, it sought to distinguish the performance of local and coastal vessels comprising the chosen fleet. The performance of the five homeports in the Algarve coast was also compared. We used Malmquist indexes to measure productivity change and explored the impact of changes in stock conditions and in regulatory policies on productivity levels. During the time period analysed, the measures defined by regulatory entities included allowing the use of a new type of dredge and the establishment of fishing quotas per vessel and per species. Finally, the fishing quotas allowed for each vessel were confronted with the captures officially declared.