Economic Values of Potential Regulation Changes for the Southern Flounder Fishery in Louisiana

Abstract

Population declines of Southern FlounderParalichthys lethostigma have reached levels that present management concerns in Louisiana waters. As the need for regulatory change in this fishery approaches, we conducted a survey to better characterize the Southern Flounder fishery in Louisiana, with two primary goals: (1) determining a value for the economic welfare provided by the fishery and (2) evaluating how this value might change in response to hypothetical regulation scenarios. Based on total travel cost estimates, the aggregate economic value of the Southern Flounder fishery among coastal Louisiana anglers reached an estimated US$119.7 million; however, this value primarily stems from anglers targeting multiple species during their coastal angling trips, as the value of the Southern Flounder fishery while only accounting for anglers that solely targeted this species amounted to an estimated $8.4 million. Respondents revealed strong levels of supportiveness for all regulation scenarios that increased limitations on allowable harvest for Southern Flounder. None of the hypothetical regulation scenarios led to significant behavioral responses in the expected number of coastal angling trips taken, leaving the economic value of coastal Louisiana fisheries unchanged. The results of our study illustrate the relatively inconsequential nature of Southern Flounder regulations upon the behavior of coastal Louisiana anglers. The information gathered by this survey can be used to guide the decisionmaking process in developing a sustainable management strategy that is supported by stakeholders and that keeps the strong economic values of coastal Louisiana fisheries intact.

Heat, hurricanes, and health: Effects of natural disturbances on angling effort

“…estimates of (n = 1,136) coastal Louisiana recreational anglers reported an average one-way distance for a fishing trip to be 86 miles [33], which would keep most anglers fishing within the region that they live.…”

The Effect of Changes in Trip Costs and Gag Regulations on Recreational Fishing Demand in the Gulf of Mexico

“…However, a recent study that asked anglers how many trips they would take under hypothetical Louisiana Southern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma regulation alternatives, including different bag (creel) limits, found that “the regulations presented in the survey would not significantly alter general angling behaviors or the economic values provided by coastal Louisiana angling” (Smith et al. 2022:9). Similarly, another recent study of the U.S. East Coast Striped Bass Morone saxatilis fishery found that while most anglers would not change their effort in the face of hypothetical bag limit increases, the share of anglers who said that they would increase their effort was twice the share of anglers who said that they would decrease their effort for the same bag limit increase (Murphy et al.…”