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The effects of changes in trip costs and regulations for dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) on recreational fishing demand in South Florida



Details

  • Journal Title:
    Fishery Bulletin
  • Personal Author:
  • NOAA Program & Office:
  • Description:
    In this study, we examined how anglers in South Florida respond to changes in trip costs and regulations of fishing for dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus). Using data from a survey of private boat anglers conducted in 2024, we estimated a model predicting changes in the frequency of fishing trips from cost variations and bag limit adjustments. We found that the average economic value of a trip on which dolphinfish are targeted, or how much an angler is willing to pay for such a trip, is approximately $200, with anglers sensitive to both cost and regulatory changes. Trip demand is elastic-a 1% cost increase reduces the number of trips by about 1.15%. Bag limit responses vary by baseline: increasing the current 10-fish limit by 1 fish raises the number of trips by roughly 1%, and adding a fish when the limit is 4 fish increases the number of trips by around 3%. Marginal willingness to pay similarly depends on the starting point, ranging from $2 for the 11th fish to $10 for the 1st fish, demonstrating diminishing returns as limits increase. These results provide valuable information for predicting recreational fishing effort and economic effects under potential management scenarios, including seasonal closures and bag limit modifications. Therefore, this research supports fishery managers in balancing conservation objectives with socioeconomic considerations in the dolphinfish fishery in the southeastern United States.
  • Source:
    Fishery Bulletin (2026)
  • DOI:
  • Format:
    PDF
  • Publisher:
    NMFS Scientific Publications Office
  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • License:
  • Rights Information:
    CC0 Public Domain
  • Compliance:
    Submitted
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:a89c8fd7cfb3e34374c94cf290977de19a40fbe016adb0fc48a4f5c10d57df8c2cc9e0a066f99828bfc66aac67b9e8decf8c9f0a88ba8292fdc23bfbf43e6af1
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 365.10 KB ]
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