Efficiency and sustainability implications of artisanal fisheries activities: evidence from a developing country

Fisheries activities have an integral role to play in the livelihoods and economies of the Pacific island countries. However, the 'race to fish' behaviour assisted by the nature of property rights could lead to unsustainable resource extraction practices. In this paper, primary data on Fiji's artisanal fishermen and their fishing operation is used to examine their technical efficiency. Results from this study suggest efficiency level in Fiji's artisanal fisheries is low with implications on it by the modes of operation. This aspect of resource extraction can have important ramification on the sustainability of resource extraction.

Keywords: CPR, common pool resource, open access, technical efficiency, stochastic frontier production function, artisanal fisheries, developing countries, Pacific islands, Fiji, sustainability, sustainable development, technical efficiency, resource extraction