Evaluating the Economic Impact of Recreational Charter Fishing in Florida Using Hedonic Price and Economic Impact Analysis

Abstract

I dedicate this thesis to my beloved parents, Masoumeh and Mohsen Asadi and to my loving sister and brother Nooshin and Mehran. You have successfully made me the person I am becoming. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Pallab Mozumder, for the continuous support of my graduate study and research, for his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this thesis. I truly would like to thank him for allowing me to work in the South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate project (NSF Award# 1204762). I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my graduate study. I also thank my other thesis committee members, Dr. Michael Sukop, Dr. Mahadev Bhat, and Dr. Jennifer Rehage, for their encouragement and insightful comments. My sincere thanks also go to Department of Earth and Environment and Dr. Krish Jayachadran for offering me the assistantship that allowed me to complete my master's degree. Finally, I want to sincerely thank Dr. Kianoosh G. Boroojeni for his helpful feedback on my thesis. v

Fishing Industry Perspectives on Sea-Level Rise Risk and Adaptation

“…Touted as the "fishing capital of the world", Florida boasts an abundance and diversity of saltwater fisheries off its 1200 mile coastline [15]. The fishing industry in coastal Florida, however, is uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of SLR because of its physical presence along often sinking coastlines and a high dependence on marine resources.…”

“…The State of Florida issued 12,000 saltwater commercial fishing commercial licenses and 1700 wholesale dealer licenses for the 2019/20 fiscal year, which accounted for 80 million pounds in harvest and $222 million in dockside value; Florida's commercial fishing industry generates an estimated $3.2 billion in income and supports 76,700 jobs [17]. Charter fishing operations, which are an almost ubiquitous fixture in most Florida tourism coastal communities, generate an estimated $69.7 million and contribute $151.2 million to the state's economy annually [15].…”