Charging Korean Off-Shore Fisheries for Sustainable Fishing

지속적 어업을 위한 적정 자원이용료 부과에 관한 연구

This study examines, from an economic perspective, the reasons for introducing a resource taxe system into the Korean off-shore fisheries and the type of charges that can be introduced. Following a review of the charging systems in other advanced fisheries, we consider the types of charging scheme and some implications for the Korean off-shore fishing industry. Charges could be used for recovering part of fisheries management cost from the industry(i.e. administration, enforcement, research, etc). This can be justified on the grounds that the fishing industry is the main beneficiary of management and that it should therefore bear at least part of the cost involved. It is arguable that publicly-funded management is in effect a subsidy to the industry. Using charges to raise revenue in excess of the cost of management would represent the extraction of a public rent from the fishery resource, but the short-run financial consqquences for the industry would be significant. Results from a qualtitative analysis suggest that while any new charge will have a significant financial impact on the industry in the short run, a landings tax would have a lesser impact on fleet structure in the long run. The study also considers the possibility of a capital gains tax on license sales in order to recover some rent from the industry. Despite any short run-financial consequences, making the fishing industry pay for at least some of the cost of management could benefit the industry as a whole if there were more cooperation between industry and managers as a result. It is acknowledged, however, that there could be disputes over the relative management costs of different sectors of the industry. Even though this study makes few specific recommendations about charging the Korean off-shore fishing industry, it does advise that the issue be reviewed on the basis of the entire Korea fisheries. Finally, the study notes that insufficient data are available on the economic performance of the Korean off-shore fishing vessels and it recommands that a comprehensive system for the collection of costs and earnings data be put in place. It also suggests that MOMAF pay much attention to the permit right market and its transactions.