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- Title
Economics of razor clam fishery closures due to harmful algal blooms in Washington State.
- Authors
Huppert, Daniel D.; Trainer, Vera L.
- Abstract
Several times in the last two decades Washington State recreational and commercial razor clam fisheries have been interrupted by closures due to the spread of harmful algal blooms (HABs) that threaten the health of humans. The closures due to HABs, and measures to avoid human contact with HABs, can have economic consequences in at least four categories: (1) the economic costs of illness and death caused by HABs, (2) the economic impacts to coastal incomes and employment due to fishery closures, (3) the net economic loss suffered by clammers due to fishery closures, and (4) costs of monitoring and enforcing closures due to HABs. There have been a few studies focused on the economic cost of sickness due to HABs (category 1) dealing with costs associated with sickness and death in the United States from ciguatera fish poisoning. In this paper we focus on the categories 2 and 3, using a survey completed in April of 2008 on four recreational clamming beaches on the Pacific coast of Washington State, and related information concerning a small commercial fishery for razor clams. Our estimates of coastal income impacts focus on a range of possibilities, from single beach closures of one recreational dig over a 3- to 4-day "clam opener" to full four-beach closures for the entire year. Economic impacts on the recreational razor clam fishery range from a loss of 3 to 339 full-time job equivalents and from $110 thousand to $10.57 million1 in coastal income loss, depending upon the extent of the closures. Similar estimates for the Quinault Indian Nation commercial fishery range from close to $117 thousand for a half-year single beach closure to $1.42 million for a full-year all beach closure. Closure of the smaller commercial fishery on the Willapa Spit could cause a coastal income loss of up to $514 thousand for a yearlong closure. These are estimated changes in coastal community incomes associated with reduced clamming opportunities. Here, we estimate the amount that recreational clammers would be willing to pay to reduce beach closures to one or less per year. Based upon responses to a survey conducted in April 2008, this value is estimated at $662 thousand. This estimate of the net economic benefit of the available razor clam recreational fishery greatly exceeds the $150 thousand currently allocated for the phytoplankton monitoring system that provides early warning of HAB events, under the Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom (ORHAB) partnership. Using weekly microscope analysis of phytoplankton in water samples collected from razor clamming beaches, the ORHAB program has prevented coastwide closures of the razor clam fishery since 2005.
- Subjects
ALGAL blooms; ALGAL growth; TOXIC algae; AQUACULTURE; FISHERIES
- Publication
PICES Scientific Report, 2014, Issue 47, p59
- ISSN
1198-273X
- Publication type
Article