Spatial, temporal, and cross-fishery spillovers in the U.S. West Coast Dungeness Crab Fishery

In this study, we examine the impact of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) and management strategies on the U.S. West Coast Dungeness crab fisheries, focusing on three types of spillovers: spatial, temporal, and spillovers to other fisheries. Our preliminary results, based on a double-hurdle framework, show that (i) ports near HAB-affected zones, though not directly impacted, generate slightly more Dungeness crab revenue, (ii) fishing speeds up after a closure is lifted, indicating crabbers work harder to make up for lost time, and (iii) during closures, crabbers shift to other fisheries, then return to Dungeness crab once the closure ends. Our preliminary simulation results suggest that, for a fixed closure duration, earlier closures have a larger impact on both the distribution of crab revenue and the season’s total crab revenue compared to later closures. Although efforts to catch up after closures help maintain the crab fishing timeline and avoid disrupting other fisheries that begin in April, the total season revenue still falls short of what it would be in a no-closure scenario.