Multiple objectives and perceptions of optimal management: The Danish industrial fishery in the North Sea

Fisheries management involves many stakeholders with differentopinions about how the fishery should be optimally managed.This paper presents a multi-objective bio-economic model, whichis able to incorporate the preferences of managers and otherstakeholders. The model is a weighted goal programme coveringthe Danish industrial fishery. Economic, political and biologicalconcerns are considered simultaneously and, by applying thepreference structures of different stakeholders, it shows howthe optimally managed fishery would look from the perspectiveof managers and various interest groups. Managers, in this casethe Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, areprovided with a management tool that shows the consequencesof their preferences towards the objectives, and can be comparedwith optimal solutions as perceived by other stakeholders.