Modelling and analysis of a harvested prey–predator system incorporating a prey refuge

The present paper deals with a prey–predator model incorporating a prey-refuge and independent harvesting in either species. Our study shows that, using the harvesting efforts as controls, it is possible to break the cyclic behaviour of the system and drive it to a required state. The possibility of existence of bionomic equilibria has been considered. The problem of optimal harvest policy is then solved by using Pontryagin's maximal principle.