Size-Selective Threshold Harvesting under Nonlocal Crowding and Exogenous Recruitment

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Yu, Jiguang, Wang, Louis Shuo, Liang, Ye
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Yu, Jiguang
Wang, Louis Shuo
Liang, Ye
author_facet Yu, Jiguang
Wang, Louis Shuo
Liang, Ye
contents In this paper, we formulate and analyze an original infinite-horizon bioeconomic optimal control problem for a nonlinear, size-structured fish population. Departing from standard endogenous reproduction frameworks, we model population dynamics using a McKendrick--von Foerster partial differential equation characterized by strictly exogenous lower-boundary recruitment and a nonlocal crowding index. This nonlocal environment variable governs density-dependent individual growth and natural mortality, accurately reflecting the ecological pressures of enhancement fisheries or heavily subsidized stocks. We first establish the existence and uniqueness of the no-harvest stationary profile and introduce a novel intrinsic replacement index tailored to exogenously forced systems, which serves as a vital biological diagnostic rather than a classical persistence threshold. To maximize discounted economic revenue, we derive formal first-order necessary conditions via a Pontryagin-type maximum principle. By introducing a weak-coupling approximation to the adjoint system and applying a single-crossing assumption, we mathematically prove that the optimal size-selective harvesting strategy is a rigorous bang-bang threshold policy. A numerical case study calibrated to an Atlantic cod (\textit{Gadus morhua}) fishery bridges our theoretical framework with applied management. The simulations confirm that the economically optimal minimum harvest size threshold ($66.45$ cm) successfully maintains the intrinsic replacement index above unity, demonstrating that precisely targeted, size-structured harvesting can seamlessly align economic maximization with long-run biological viability.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_27368
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Size-Selective Threshold Harvesting under Nonlocal Crowding and Exogenous Recruitment
Yu, Jiguang
Wang, Louis Shuo
Liang, Ye
Optimization and Control
Numerical Analysis
Analysis of PDEs
In this paper, we formulate and analyze an original infinite-horizon bioeconomic optimal control problem for a nonlinear, size-structured fish population. Departing from standard endogenous reproduction frameworks, we model population dynamics using a McKendrick--von Foerster partial differential equation characterized by strictly exogenous lower-boundary recruitment and a nonlocal crowding index. This nonlocal environment variable governs density-dependent individual growth and natural mortality, accurately reflecting the ecological pressures of enhancement fisheries or heavily subsidized stocks. We first establish the existence and uniqueness of the no-harvest stationary profile and introduce a novel intrinsic replacement index tailored to exogenously forced systems, which serves as a vital biological diagnostic rather than a classical persistence threshold. To maximize discounted economic revenue, we derive formal first-order necessary conditions via a Pontryagin-type maximum principle. By introducing a weak-coupling approximation to the adjoint system and applying a single-crossing assumption, we mathematically prove that the optimal size-selective harvesting strategy is a rigorous bang-bang threshold policy. A numerical case study calibrated to an Atlantic cod (\textit{Gadus morhua}) fishery bridges our theoretical framework with applied management. The simulations confirm that the economically optimal minimum harvest size threshold ($66.45$ cm) successfully maintains the intrinsic replacement index above unity, demonstrating that precisely targeted, size-structured harvesting can seamlessly align economic maximization with long-run biological viability.
title Size-Selective Threshold Harvesting under Nonlocal Crowding and Exogenous Recruitment
topic Optimization and Control
Numerical Analysis
Analysis of PDEs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27368