Real-case exploration of the RTI ( Real-Time Incentive ) tariff-based fisheries management approach for the mixed groundfish trawl fishery in the Western Baltic

The recently proposed ‘Real-Time Incentive (RTI)’ fisheries-management instrument replaces catch/landings quotas and days-at-sea limitations with a single ‘quota’ of fishing-impact credits (‘RTIs’). According to this concept, fishing mortality rates of multiple species and impacts on the ecosystem are regulated through a single ‘currency’. Fishers can fish where and when they want and spend their allocated RTIs according to spatio-temporally varying tariffs. Managers set the tariffs based on agreed target mortality rates of multiple species, using knowledge of the spatio-temporally varying catchabilities of the various species caught/impacted in a mixed fishery. Previous studies proved conceptual RTI performance under various simulation scenarios. We now propose real-case exploration of the RTI approach as a fisheries-management tool in the specific case of the German mixed groundfish trawl fishery in the Western Baltic Sea. The concept is explored for its capability to fulfil the requirements of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM): maximization of sustainable yield while maintaining good environmental status (GES) according to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Since RTI performs at a fine spatio-temporal scale and incorporates ecosystem targets it is able to meet these criteria more appropriately than traditional single species fisheries management focusing on relatively large management units and time scales.