Shark Hunting: International Trade and the Imminent Extinction of Heterogeneous Species

Tobias Erhardt and Rolf Weder

Working papers from Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel

Abstract: This paper examines the unprecedented decimation of sharks. We develop a Ricardian Gordon-Schaefer model with a continuum of heterogeneous species which are subject to combined harvesting and perfect substitutability in consumption. The model implies that slow-growing species, surviving in autarky, will be driven to extinction in an open trade regime. In the empirical analysis, we show that the model is in line with observations of shark biology and the international shark market. In particular, the likelihood of extinction turns out to be significantly greater for shark species which are part of trade in shark fins and exhibit low intrinsic growth.

Keywords: Sharks; Trade and Renewable Resources; Biodiversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F14 F18 Q27 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env and nep-int
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bsl:wpaper:2015/07

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