A simulation model of artisanal fisheries of Senegal

A simulation model was designed to corrcspond to a Senegalese artisanal fishery. Each fishing unit has a strategy, and at a given time chooses a tactic from a set of available tactics, according to a decision rule taking into account expected “revenucs”. The multispecies resource is modelled with simple stock production models, assuming quantities of biomass are inaccessible, depending on the resourcc component, season, and tac-tic. We compare the results of two simulations with the same number of fishing units, the same gears, and the same resource, but with different strategies. One set of strategies has smaller sets of tactics available than the other. Results indicate the importance of flexibility of the fishermen, which must be taken into account in management studies.