Live-Aboard Dive Boats in the Great Barrier Reef: Regional Economic Impact and the Relative Values of Their Target Marine Species

Abstract

Using data collected from more than 1,000 tourists on live-aboard dive boats operating in the Cairns/Cooktown management area of the Great Barrier Reef, this paper estimates the regional economic impact of that live-aboard industry. It also uses a subset of these data (247 respondents) to investigate some of the relative ‘values’ of key marine species seen on the trips that included the Coral Sea location of Osprey Reef and which targeted multiple species of wildlife. The authors find that (i) each year, the live-aboard dive boats are directly responsible for generating at least AU$16 million worth of income in the Cairns/Port Douglas region; (ii) visitors participating in different types of trips gain their highest levels of ‘satisfaction’ from interacting with different types of species; and (iii) visitors to Osprey Reef would be willing to pay more for a ‘guaranteed’ sighting of sharks than they would for a ‘guaranteed’ sighting of large fish, marine turtles or a ‘wide variety of species’.

The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area seagrasses: Managing this iconic Australian ecosystem resource for the future

“…Compared with most of the Indo Pacific region there is a considerable investment in protecting not only the biological components of the area but also economic and social capital (Stoeckl et al, 2010). While not as important for subsistence fishing as the seagrass meadows of the Indo Pacific (de la Torre-Castro et al, 2014), populations of sea turtles and dugong form part of the "iconic" status of the GBRWHA and as many as two million tourists visit each year (Stoeckl et al, 2010). This is reflected at both small scales with integrated programs to mitigate port development such as in Gladstone Harbour (see www.…”

“…This is despite the fact that major penaeid shrimp and scallop trawl fisheries operate in these waters (Williams, 1997;. These near shore, soft bottom and inter-reef habitats are nursery grounds for important recreational and commercial fish species Coles et al, 1993), and key iconic and economically valuable tourist species of whales, dolphins, turtles and dugong, are found there (Stoeckl et al, 2010).…”

The importance of research and public opinion to conservation management of sharks and rays: a synthesis

“…Such research will help inform the best way to maximise economic yields, while still ensuring resource sustainability. For some species, there is high economic value in maintaining populations that can be viewed by tourists (Stoeckl et al 2010); however, this will not be true for all species (i.e. those that non-extractive use cannot access).…”

The efficiency of the Environmental Management Charge in the Cairns management area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park*

“…The total number of visitors per annum (Q) was 666 for live-aboard boat trips operating out of Port Douglas; between 5482 and 7134 for live-aboard boat trips operating out of Cairns (Stoeckl et al 2010) -so the mean of 6308 was used; and between 102 917 and 114 514 for the minke whale day boat trips operating out of Port Douglas (Birtles et al 2009) -so the mean of 108 715 was used.…”

“…Questionnaires were distributed on two live-aboard boats (Undersea Explorer and Nimrod Explorer), and the response rate for 2007 was calculated at 83 per cent (Stoeckl et al 2010).…”