Dale - Please look at and distribute Gregoire's study regarding the economic value of recreational fishing versus commercial fishing. It is enlightening.
Here is a link on WDFW's website: http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/publications/pub.php?id=00464
You mean the study that starts out saying this?
"Although the study estimates net economic values and economic impacts of both commercial and recreational fisheries, it is not sufficiently comprehensive and the values are not estimated with adequate precision to warrant a comparative analysis of the two fisheries."
This is because when analyzing sports fishing, every penny that could be imagined to possibly relate to fishing is used such as gas for the drive to the fishing grounds, clothes and gear used while fishing, motel and campground costs, boats, etc.
While in the commercial fisheries, the only value attributed to the fishery is grounds price. The boats and gear used, the fuel burnt, the processing and shipping jobs created, the fish market jobs, the repair jobs, the boat building and repair jobs, marketing/advertizing jobs, travel costs, packaging and shipping containers, and many many more are left out of the equation. Also, the value to the public who likes to eat fish, but don't care to or can't afford to go fishing or just find it more convenient to buy their fish at a market is left out.
There has never been a REAL comparison done between sport and commercial fish values. There have only been studies that reach the conclusion that was desired before the study began.
