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

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,

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

Economic profile of Florida's marine life industry

The marine life industry in Florida is defined as the harvest of live marine specimens (fish and invertebrate species including plants, live rock and sand, and small “critters”) for commercial use, primarily aquariums. This paper summarizes data collected on the industry since 1990, including total landings, revenues, and trends over time. Regional analysis shows where the primary collecting areas are located in Florida. Seasonal analysis shows when the majority of landings occur within the year. Statistics on the number of participants by type (i.e., collector versus wholesaler) provide insight into the size of the industry. Trends are evaluated in terms of changes across the 9-year period from 1990 to 1998. In general, the number of licensed collectors has increased substantially, landings of fish and animal invertebrates peaked in 1994, angelfish dominated the fish landings, live rock dominated the invertebrate landings, and the average landings per trip have remained relatively constant. (67pp.

1999 US tropical fish wholesaler survey: results and implications

A survey of marine life wholesalers was initiated in 1999 as a first step towards understanding the nature of Florida’s marine life industry, the demand for Florida products, and the need for changes in the way the industry is regulated. Florida firms deal primarily in marine species and collect much of their own product. Wholesalers outside of Florida handle more freshwater species and purchase most of their inventory, the majority from overseas suppliers. Dealers predict that the average firm size will continue to grow as the industry consolidates. Niche markets for eco-friendly product will gain momentum. In Florida, marketing strategies should point to the high quality of Florida species with emphasis on the growing popularity of invertebrates. Wholesalers should look to provide buyers of Florida product with more consistent quantities throughout the year. Resource managers will be challenged to find ways to protect over-harvested species without interfering with the collection of abundant species while considering the effect of new regulations. (42pp.

State Differences in the Application of Medical Frailty under the Affordable Care Act

This poster explains a study that examines how states undergoing Medicaid expansion differ in their treatment of the “medically frail” population. The medically frail are individuals who may need the extra benefits offered by traditional Medicaid. The results provide needed information to policymakers that are interested in improving access among vulnerable populations in the 23 states that have not yet implemented Medicaid expansion, but may do so in the future. While regulations provide categories that qualify for medical frailty, each state is free to use their own method of determining who meets the definition. There is a need for ongoing study to determine whether state differences in how medical frailty is addressed are associated with differences in access by persons with high medical need. Presented at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting

POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF RESTRICTED ACCESS STRATEGIES FOR MULTISPECIES FISHERIES

The commercial fishery that primarily targets king mackerel, stone crab, snappers, groupers and spiny lobster in Monroe and Collier counties is one of the most important commercial fisheries in Florida. These species currently face problems of overfishing and/or over capitalization. A dual-based restricted profit function is used to estimate the economic and technical interactions that exist in this multi-species fishery, primarily using own-price and cross-price elasticities of supply. It is found that the production technology does not exhibit input-output separability and nonjointness-in-inputs over all species groups. This result suggests that these key species may be more efficiently managed as a group, rather than with the use of existing single species regulations. Spiny lobster and stone crab, the dominant value species in the fishery, are shown to have very elastic substitution relationships with king mackerel.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Supply Disruptions Following Environmental Events: Implications for Molluscan Shellfish Growers and Processors

Environmental events such as tropical storms, hurricanes, and harmful algal blooms (HABs) have the potential to disrupt the commercial production and supply of certain marine species. In Florida, the red-pigmented dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (a particular type of naturally occurring HAB) has contaminated molluscan shellfish beds resulting in periodic fishery closures. The 2004 hurricane season also caused heavy losses of cultured clams along the Gulf coast of Florida. Oyster harvesters and clam growers have argued that such disruptions in supply result in lost market channels that have lingering effects on wholesale demand, including the potential for losing some wholesale markets entirely. To investigate this issue, molluscan shellfish producers and buyers in Florida were surveyed regarding their knowledge, experience, and opinions of the impacts of recent environmental events. This information will provide insight into the market effect of policy changes that may influence the availability of traditional molluscan shellfish supplies. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's threat to close the summer harvest of oysters in the Gulf region for the raw halfshell market may result in long-term market changes that could impede the re-establishment of markets during the remaining months of the year. This information will be supplemented with landings data and harvest data from the Florida Division of Aquaculture that maintains records of closure days for shellfish harvesting regions

Diversifying Artisanal Fishing Fleets in the Galapagos Marine Reserve

Fishing activities within the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) are restricted to small-scale levels by national law. The fishing sector has relied on just two fisheries, sea cucumber and spiny lobster, and a strong Asian export market. Despite a series of input and output controls and a co-management scheme, stocks have been decimated. One proposed alternative is for commercial fishermen to enter the tourism sector by offering live fishing tours, sports fishing tours, and/or initiate a domestic seafood supply market. Aside from the potential need for retraining, fishermen's preferences for alternative effort diversification proposals are unknown. These preferences and the behavioral dynamics of geographically distinct harvest sectors are, however, critically important to the determination of an effective fisheries and conservation management in the GMR. An analysis of the past performance of the small-scale fleet (e.g., technical efficiencies from secondary data) will complement an assessment of preferences for fishing effort allocation decisions and for diversification of fishing effort across a range of extractive and non-extractive resource uses. The identification of acceptable extractive and non-extractive alternatives by fishermen will allow the comprehensive examination of the feasibility of proposed strategies. The data will be used to test whether the most efficient operators are more or less likely to diversify their portfolio of marine-based commercial activities. Preferences for diversification and, therefore, the likelihood of success will also be tested for sensitivity by gear type and region. Overall, this study will determine whether proposed alternatives to entice fishermen to voluntarily diversify will be successful

The Marine Life Fishery in Florida, 1990–98

The marine life fishery in Florida is defined as the harvest of live marine specimens (fish and invertebrate species including plants, and also live rock, and live sand) for commercial use, primarily as ornamentals for the aquarium market. This paper summarizes the regulatory measures that have been implemented and the data collected on 318 species between 1990 and 1998. Regional analysis shows the primary collecting areas, and seasonal analysis shows when the majority of landings occur. Statistics on the number of participants provide insight into the size of the industry