A Simulation Model for the Evaluation of Fishing Trawler Designs

This paper describes the development, testing, validation and application of a computer simulation model. The model is designed to determine the economic potential of a specified offshore stern fishing trawler.

The basic structure of the model consists of four sections: (1) Skipper section-this is the decision-maker in the model; (2) Vessel section—the vessel with its crew carry out the actions decided on by the skipper. (3) Environment section—distributions are specified here for catch rates and weather conditions, varying over time. (4) Operational section—this section contains the overall time-keeping function, financial accounting routines, data banks, and so on.

Validation was carried out by specifying to the program particulars of actual vessels for which operational data existed, and then comparing the model results with the actual recorded results.

The model was applied to identifying, from among a range of vessel designs, those that ranked highest according to various specified economic criteria.