SELECTED FACTORS AFFECTING SEAFOOD MARKETS IN THE UNITED STATES

The US seafood industry represents an economically important industry for the nation and an important component of the global seafood industry. The manner in which the industry has traditionally marketed the myriad of seafood products is changing. The major factors which will continue to affect the domestic seafood market include domestic resource management efforts, national and international environmental awareness, international trade policy, and a changing set of demands for seafood products and services.Agribusiness,

The Economic impact of Florida's recreational boating industry in 1985

The recreational boating industry is an important component of Florida's economy. Previous Florida Sea Grant College supported research has documented this economic importance to the state's economy in 1980 (see Milon and Riddle, 1983, and Milon et al. 1983). Since that initial research, the manufacturing, retailing, and service sectors comprising the industry have continued to grow and prosper as the state's resident and tourist populations increased. This report is an update on the economic significance of the recreational boating industry in Florida since 1980 based on economic indicators of change within the industry. (21pp.

Reported Trip Costs, Gross Revenues, and Net Returns for U.S. Atlantic Pelagic Longline Vessels

Logbook set and trip summary data (containing catch and cost information, respectively) collected by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) were analyzed for U.S. pelagic longline vessels that participated in Atlantic fisheries in 1996. These data were augmented with vessel information from the U.S. Coast Guard. Mean fish weights and ex-vessel prices from NMFS observers and licensed seafood dealers, respectively, were used to estimate gross revenues. Comparisons revealed that net returns varied substantially by vessel size and fishing behavior (i.e. sets per trip, fishing location, season, and swordfish targeting). While the calculated economic effects of proposed regulations will depend on the descriptive statistic chosen for analysis, which itself depends on the type of analysis being conducted, results show that considering heterogeneity within this fleet can have a significant effect on predicted economic consequences

Selected economics research needs of the Gulf and South Atlantic shrimp industry: a workshop

The major research needs concerning the domestic shrimp industry were addressed at a 1985 workshop. These needs included: (1) The impact of the development of foreign shrimp mariculture on the various sectors (production, processing, wholesaling, etc.) of the domestic shrimp industry, (2) The impact of future development of seafood-based analogs and Surimi on the domestic shrimp industry, and (3) The status of and problems associated with the development and improvement of econometric and bio-economic modeling efforts concerning the domestic shrimp industry. (51pp.

A BIOECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR THE U.S. NORTH ATLANTIC SWORDFISH FISHERY

A bioeconomic model of the North Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius) fishery is developed to evaluate policy-relevant management options as changes from the status quo. The model accounts for heterogeneity in vessel and trip characteristics, including the number of sets placed and catch composition. Results indicate that five-year economic returns to the U.S. Atlantic pelagic longline (PLL) fleet can be increased by reducing juvenile swordfish mortality or fleet size (and possibly changing fleet composition). These policies may not be effective, however, if implemented simultaneously. Domestic management of the swordfish fishery was found to be effective, despite the small share of the international quota. Lastly, producer surpluses earned by the domestic PLL vessel owners are significantly affected by: (1) changes in swordfish demand (due to, for example, the recent chef's boycott), (2) success at negotiating the swordfish quota share, (3) catch rates, and (4) relative costs of heterogeneous vessels and trip behavior.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The evaluation of partial binocular overlap on car maneuverability: A pilot study

An engineering approach to enlarge the helmet mounted display (HMD) field of view (FOV) and maintain resolution and weight by partially overlapping the binocular FOV has received renewed interest among human factors scientists. It is evident, based on the brief literature review, that any panoramic display with a binocular overlap, less than a minimum amount, annoys the viewer, degrades performance, and elicits undesirable behavior. The major finding is that across the 60 deg conditions, subjects moved their heads a greater distance (by about 5 degs on each side) than in the 180 deg condition, presumably to compensate for the lack of FOV. It is quite clear that the study, based on simple car maneuverability and two subjects, reveals differences in FOV, but nothing significant between binocular overlap levels and configurations. This tentatively indicates that some tradeoffs of binocular vision for a larger overall display FOV are acceptable

Economic impact of the Florida cultured hard clam industry

(29pp.

How well does NLO pQCD describe strangeness in p+pp+p collisions at s\sqrt{s}= 200 GeV in STAR?

We present measurements of the transverse momentum spectra for $\mathrm{K^{0}_{S}}$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$ and their antiparticles in p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200 GeV$. The extracted mid-rapidity yields and $$ are in agreement with previous $p+\bar{p}$ experiments while they have smaller statistical errors. We compare the measured spectra for $\mathrm{K^{0}_{S}}$ and $\Lambda$ to the latest available calculations from NLO pQCD and see good agreement for the $\mathrm{K^{0}_{S}}$ above 1.5 GeV/c.Comment: conference proceedings, Strangeness in Quark Matter 2004, 5 pages, submitted to Journal Physics G, final version submitted to journal incl. modifications requested by edito

Public Awareness and Knowledge of Red Tide Blooms

We measured the knowledge of Southwest Florida residents regarding red tides by surveying 1,006 randomly selected individuals. Although 89% were aware of red tides, 72% erroneously believed that finfish and crustaceans were unsafe to eat and that waters were unsafe for swimming during a red tide. Because respondents primarily rely on newspapers and television (70% and 62%, respectively), these media should be pursued in Extension efforts to correct these misunderstandings and reduce revenue losses to local businesses. Costly brochures, workshops, and Internet sites do not warrant additional educational efforts at this time because only 6% of respondents identified those sources

The Last Lecture: State Anti-SLAPP Statutes and the Federal Courts

(Excerpt) An old proverb says that “when the student is ready[,] the teacher appears.” In this collaborative effort, a civil procedure law professor has partnered with his former student to address one of the most challenging topics to confront the federal courts in recent times: whether state anti-SLAPP statutes conflict with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The acronym “SLAPP” stands for “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.” Anti-SLAPP statutes are a spate of state legislation of recent vintage, designed “to give more breathing space for free speech about contentious public issues” and to “try to decrease the ‘chilling effect’ of certain kinds of libel litigation and other speech-restrictive litigation.” The most stringent anti-SLAPP statutes serve strong measures to accomplish their goals: an accelerated dismissal procedure soon after suit is filed; a complete stay of discovery; the plaintiff must, at the pleading stage, come forward with evidence to establish her prima facie trial burden; mandatory attorney’s fees and costs to the prevailing defendant; and an immediate appeal if the trial court denies the dismissal motion