A stabilizing harvesting strategy for an uncertain model of an ecological system (Q1327203)

This paper is concerned with examining the efficacy of the constant rate harvesting strategy for a biomass which experiences uncertain growth and death rates. The authors demonstrate that while such an optimal strategy does exist, it is not likely to be practical if the objective is to keep the biomass at a level that generates the maximum expected yield, because the biomass equilibrium is unstable. Consequently, the authors propose a time-varying harvest strategy that can drive any existing biomass to an arbitrarily close neighbourhood of the equilibrium biomass and maintain it therein indefinitely. Computer simulations are then offered to illustrate the point. While the theoretical result may be model specific, the paper deserves to be in your list of publications. It advances an interesting way of dealing with uncertainty that may provide a useful strating point for designing optimal harvest and extraction strategies for both replenishable and exhaustible natural resources. The parallel with ``turnpike'' result of economic growth theory is also quite interesting.