Expenditure and willingness-to-pay survey of Caribbean billfish anglers: summary report

Gentner, B, ; Whitehead, J.

Expenditure and willingness-to-pay survey of Caribbean billfish anglers: summary report

FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1168

Year of publication 2018

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 60 p.

Author Gentner, B, ; Whitehead, J.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (series)

ISBN 978-92-5-130601-7

Series title FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular

Series number No. 1168

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) This circular summarizes the methods and results of a survey designed to estimate angler expenditures and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for billfish recreational fishing in the Caribbean. The survey conducted in 2017 found that the value of billfish recreational fishing and expenditures by recreational fishers are very high in the region. The results demonstrate that there is the potential to raise conservation funds from this resource user group. This study estimated that one more billfish caught in the Caribbean, regardless of the disposition of that catch, was worth USD 761, with USD 1 494 for an additional trophy fish caught. The survey also examined WTP for conservation funds that could provide longer term financing of fisheries interventions aimed at securing the sustainability of overfished billfish stocks. A stamp for billfish fishing, or a license for billfish fishing, is a seemingly appealing way of converting some of the WTP for increased stocks into a fund that can be used to enhance billfish conservation. On average, anglers that had not taken a trip in the last 12 months were willing to pay USD 280 for a government administered stamp or an endorsement that would allow them to target billfish for a year. Avid anglers are willing to pay somewhat more for such an endorsement, at USD 439/year for a government administered fund. Total daily expenditures by non-resident private boaters participating in this survey were USD 2 767/day and USD 1 036/day for residents. On the charter angler side, total non-resident expenditures were USD 2 971/day and resident anglers expenditures were USD 820/day the survey revealed. Overall, angler expenditures for billfish angling in the Caribbean could be as high as USD 3.5 billion and the total that could be raised from a billfish stamp could be USD 79.1 million for a government administered fund.

Language English

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The WECAFC-FIRMS regional workshop on Recreational Fisheries Statistics in the Caribbean was supported by the Caribbean Billfish Project, which is a component of the GEF-funded, World Bank-implemented, Ocean Partnership for Sustainable Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation Models for Innovation and Reform (ABNJ) Project, and is being executed by the WECAFC Secretariat at the Subregional Office for the Caribbean of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources of the Bahamas Government kindly hosted this workshop, which was held at the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation (BAIC). There is a need to develop recreational fisheries data collection and fishery statistics capacities in the Caribbean. Improving nations’ abilities to inform the sustainable management of valuable fish stocks, through robust data analyses, will yield socio-economic dividends for current and future citizens. The Caribbean Billfish Project seeks to improve regional recreational fishery data collection and analysis capacities in order to inform the ongoing improvements to the management of billfish and other stocks at national and regional levels. The workshop brought together 38 representatives from 13 Caribbean countries and overseas territories’ fisheries departments, regional fisheries bodies, fisheries technical advisory institutions, non-governmental organizations, various fishery statistics specialists and other relevant stakeholders. Participants’ knowledge of regional fishery data challenges and their capacities to address these challenges effectively were developed over the course of the workshop. Within the Caribbean, recreational fisheries currently represent a largely untapped resource for valuable data capture. This fishery subsector is very capable of providing invaluable data to genuinely inform effective fisheries management. However, national fishery authorities tend to either not recognize the opportunity, or struggle to engage effectively with this fishery sector for data capture. This workshop emphasized the opportunities at hand for citizen science, holistic fisheries data capture and management, and described effective data collection and analysis methodologies from other regions. Participants then prioritized the regional data collection needs collectively, from both recreational and artisanal fleets, and agreed on technicalities for digital data systems applications – including the use of SmartForms, a pilot version of which is expected to be implemented during the Caribbean Billfish Project.
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The WECAFC-FIRMS regional workshop on Recreational Fisheries Statistics in the Caribbean was supported by the Caribbean Billfish Project, which is a component of the GEF-funded, World Bank-implemented, Ocean Partnership for Sustainable Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation Models for Innovation and Reform (ABNJ) Project, and is being executed by the WECAFC Secretariat at the Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources of the Bahamas Government kindly hosted this workshop, which was held at the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation (BAIC). There is a need to develop recreational fisheries data collection and fishery statistics capacities in the Caribbean. Improving nations’ abilities to inform the sustainable management of valuable fish stocks, through robust data analyses, will yield socio-economic dividends for current and future citizens. The Caribbean Billfish Pro ject seeks to improve regional recreational fishery data collection and analysis capacities in order to inform the ongoing improvements to the management of billfish and other stocks at national and regional levels. The workshop brought together 38 representatives from 13 Caribbean countries and overseas territories’ fisheries departments, regional fisheries bodies, fisheries technical advisory institutions, non-governmental organizations, various fishery statistics specialists and other releva nt stakeholders. Participants’ knowledge of regional fishery data challenges and their capacities to address these challenges effectively were developed over the course of the workshop. Within the Caribbean, recreational fisheries currently represent a largely untapped resource for valuable data capture. This fishery subsector is very capable of providing invaluable data to genuinely inform effective fisheries management. However, national fishery authorities tend to either not recognize the op portunity, or struggle to engage effectively with this fishery sector for data capture. This workshop emphasized the opportunities at hand for citizen science, holistic fisheries data capture and management, and described effective data collection and analysis methodologies from other regions. Participants then prioritized the regional data collection needs collectively, from both recreational and artisanal fleets, and agreed on technicalities for digital data systems applications – including th e use of Smart Forms, a pilot version of which is expected to be implemented during the Caribbean Billfish Project.
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