Optimization of tuna fishing logistic routes through information sharing policies: a game theory-based approach

Abstract

The tuna fishing industry's increasing regulatory restrictions on the number of FADs per vessel is forcing companies to rethink their fishing practices to ensure their continued profitability. Despite these expanding constraints, and although many studies have been published on the use of FADs and their implications, to date there has been little research on how to help the tuna fishing industry optimize its procedures. Based on real data and using the game theory approach, we suggest a new collaborative method of employing FADs that involves their use between vessels, and we demonstrate that sharing FADs optimizes the use of fuel and time for entire fleets. Our findings show that, with the correct incentives, all stakeholders, including the company, the skipper, and even the environment, can achieve mutually improved results by sharing information.