Market Model of the Alaskan King Crab Industry

摘要

The market model for red king crab (Paralithodes camtschatica) traces the harvest of crab through various levels of processing and storage, ultimately to wholesale market distributions. Two segmentable equilibrium relationships are modeled: one determining the ex-vessel price of raw king crab, the other determining the wholesale price of processed crab products. The market for raw king crab is characterized as a bilateral monopoly in which processors have a derived demand for raw crab and consider harvest costs facing fishermen when making ex-vessel price offers. The supply of raw crab to processors is estimated with three behavioral relations (quantity harvested, fishing effort, and stock of vessels). Eight definitional identities complete the raw crab market model. The wholesale market for processed crab products is modeled as an equilibrium between consumer demand and processor/cold storage operator derived supply. This interface is modeled with four behavioral equations (wholesale section, wholesale meat price, section consumption, and section holdings) and three definitional identities.