An analysis of fishing capacity in bottom trawl fisheries in Fujian

Based on the production survey of the pair trawl and otter trawl fisheries in Minnan Area, Fujian Province, the provincial statistical data and some records related to the fishing operation, the DEA method was applied to analyze the fishing capacity of trawl fisheries in different areas of Fujain, the fishing capacity of different fishing methods in Minna Area, Fujian, and the factors affecting the fishing capacity. Then the fishing capacity calculated by DEA was compared with the catch per unit effort. The result showed that the capacity utilization of fishing fleet in different areas of Fujian was significantly different. The lowest in 1999 and 2001 was 19.4% and 19.9%, respectively. The average capacity utilizations for whole province were low. They were (64.3%) and 67.5% respectively for 1999 and 2001. The investment of Fujian Province was too great in the number, the total power, and the gross tonnage of fishing boats. The factors that affected fishing capacity would vary with different fishing methods. The power of boats and the number of fishing days in a year were the main factors that affected the capacity both in pair trawl and otter trawl. To exchange the results between CPUE and capacity utilization, the precondition was that the factors used to calculate them must be the exactly the same. When CPUE method was used to calculate fishing capacity, the number of factors was quite limitative. But using the DEA method, we could get different information of fishing capacity concluded by different calculative factors, so the results were more accordant with the facts.