Application of CYP Bioeconomic model to the Southern Gulf of Guinea

Application of Clarke Yoshimoto Pooley (CYP) bioeconomic model to the Southern Gulf of Guinea sardinella fishery is estimated in this study. It standardizes fishing efforts for the three fisheries (gillnet, purse seine and pelagic trawl) using the general linear method and uses surplus production model based on the exponential growth model. The CYP model estimates a maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and fishing efforts (EMSY) of 825 vessels which maximize the harvest at MSY. The results show that the present level of exploitation with the MSY level of 46,111 tonnes implies biological overfishing of the sardinella stock. These results show that the present level of exploitation with the MSY level confirm that biological overfishing of the sardinella stock has occurred. Given the overexploited status of the sardinella resource, the fishing effort at the level of MSY can gradually recover the resource, but cannot achieve the maximum net revenue until the resource recovers to the steady state biomass associated with MEY. Moreover, the model estimates also the maximum economic yield (MEY) of 43,154 tonnes and the fishing efforts (EMEY) of 560 vessels at MEY.