Economic Impact of Marine Recreational Fishing in Massachusetts

Abstract

A sample of 2,125 recreational marine anglers in Massachusetts in 1988 provided expense data. For trip‐related expenses, average expenditures per day fished were calculated for residents and nonresidents. For non‐trip‐related expenses, average annual expenditures per participant were calculated for the two residence categories. Averages from the sample were expanded to population total expenditure estimates by using National Marine Fisheries Service estimates of days fished and number of participants. Translators that allocated expenditures among different economic sectors were also estimated. The Regional Science Research Institute's PC I–O model was used to conduct an input‐output analysis. The estimated US$92.7 million spent directly by nonresidents in 1988 resulted ultimately in nearly 3,300 jobs, $44.7 million in income, $3.6 million in state tax revenues, and $5.1 million in local tax revenues. Unless these nonresidents visited the state and spent the same money on other pursuits, the jobs, incomes, and tax receipts would be lost if marine recreational fishing were suddenly to become unavailable in Massachusetts. Direct expenditures by residents totaled $545 million in 1988 and provided over 16,000 jobs, $246.2 million in income, $19.9 million in state tax receipts, and $28.6 million in local tax receipts. Loss of marine recreational fishing activity would lead to reduction in size of industries serving these anglers and at least temporary unemployment ofthat workforce before it switched to other activities. The results, directly applicable to 1988, can provide a basis for estimates for other years as well when used in conjunction with various updating procedures.

Assessing Fishers' Support of Striped Bass Management Strategies

“…While the impacts of commercial fishing on fish population dynamics has received substantial scientific and public attention, recreational and subsistence fishing has been increasingly recognized to also strongly influence fish populations [ 6 – 7 ]. Recreational fishers represent a highly diverse group of stakeholders and recreational fishing can significantly influence the welfare of fishing communities as well as contribute substantially to local and national economies [ 8 – 9 ]. For example, the direct expenditures from the striped bass recreational fishery in Massachusetts alone have been estimated at over US$600 million [ 9 ].…”

An economic comparison of the commercial and recreational linefisheries in Namibia

“…This expenditure would then have generated multiplier effects in turn (see Storey andAllen 1993, McGrath et al 1997). According to this line of reasoning, the coastal anglers would have had other expenditure in the coastal region, creating economic impacts of a similar size as those from angling.…”

Economic Impacts of Catch Reallocation from the Commercial Fishery to the Recreational Fishery in Hawaii

“…The impacts of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (NPFMC) proposal to shift a portion of the quotas for walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma and Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus from the offshore to inshore harvesting sector in waters off Alaska were estimated with both I-O and benefit-cost approaches (NPFMC 1991;Herrick et al 1994). More recently, Storey and Allen (1993) conducted an I-O analysis to estimate the economic impact of recreational marine fishing in Massachusetts. Several other applications of I-O models to fisheries can be found in Andrews and Rossi (1986) and Hushak et al (1986).…”