Economic Analysis of the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery in Southeastern Oklahoma Using Travel Cost Method
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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE MOUNTAIN FORK RIVER TROUT FISHERY IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA USING TRAVEL COST METHOD By. Se-Hyun Choi Bachelor of Science Korea University Seoul, Korea 1985 Master of Science Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 1989 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements tor the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May, 1993 OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVEBSITY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE MOUNTAIN FORK RIVER TROUT FISHERY IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA USING TRAVEL COST METHOD Thesis Adviser /~f;.. ,4.r4 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Glory and praise the living God. I would like to express my gratitude to those who assisted me in this project. Special thanks to my advisor, Dr. Dean F. Schreiner, for the guidance and consideration given to me during this study. I am also appreciative to my committee members, Dr. Larry Sanders, Dr. Brian Adam and Dr. William Warde, for the efforts and suggestions that made my tenure at Oklahoma State University valuable. I extend my appreciation to other individuals who provided inputs to this project including Dr. David Leslie, Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research, Dr. Harold Namminga, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), Mr. Jack Harper, ODWC, and Mr. Don Smith, ODWC, as well as others involved with the survey. I will not forget the spiritual guidance provided by Dr. Daniel Badger, whose love I respect. The analytical guidance provided by Dr. Wade Brorsen and Suhk-Hyun Kim, Brent Tweeten's computer assistance, proofreading assistance from David Marcouiller, and the typing skills of Gloria Cook are greatly appreciated. I dedicate this work to my mother, Soon-Ja Chun for her sacrifice and support for the whole of my life as well as study in the United States. Also, warmest thanks go to my wife, Hee-Seep Yoon. Her encouragement and support is the most valuable resource I have. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Background...................................................................................... 3 Problem Statement......................................................................... 6 Objective of the Study.................................................................... 6 The Organization of the Study...................................................... 7 II. THEORY OF RECREATION DEMAND AND BENEFIT ANALYSIS.................................................................. 9 Measure of Welfare Change .......... ~.............................................. 9 Federal Guideline Procedures of Recreation Benefit Evaluation for National Economic Development................ 12 The Valuation of Non market Goods............................................ 17 Expenditure Function Approach ...................................... 18 Own Price Only TCM .............................................. 23 Quality Enhanced Own Price Only TCM............. 24 Classical Travel Cost Models............................... 25 Discrete Choice Travel Cost Models................... 28 Income Compensation Approach .............. :..................... 31 Comparison of Alternative Approachs............................ 34 Empirical Issues Related to Recreation Demand Analysis..... 35 Quantity Specification of Demand................................... 35 Zonal Travel Cost Method..................................... 37 Individual Travel Cost Method.............................. 39 Independent Variables...................................................... 40 Price (Travel Cost).................................................. 40 Cost of Time............................................................. 41 Substitute Sites....................................................... 44 Congestion............................................................... 46 Socioeconomic Variables..................................... 47 Functional Form .................................................................. 4 7 Ill. PROCEDURE OF THE STUDY................................................................ · 49 Sample Survey Design................................................................. 49 iv Chapter Page Selecting Nonmarket Valuation Approach................................ 54 - Criteria for Selecting Nonmarket Valuation Approach...................................................... 54 Type of TCM Model............................................................ 56 Specification of Quantity.................................................... 5 7 Empirical Recreation Demand and Benefit Models................. 57 Empirical Demand Models................................................ 58 Benefit Estimation............................................................... 64 Comparative Analysis........................................................ 67 Benefit-Cost Analysis......................................................... 68 IV. SAMPLE DATA OF THE MOUNTAIN FORK RIVER TROUT FISHERY AND PARTICIPATING ANGLERS..................... 70 Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery............................................... 71 Mountain Fork River Anglers........................................................ 71 Angler Trip Information········~························· .. ·················· 73 Geographic Data..................................................... 73 Fishing Time and Length of Trip.......................... 79 Frequency of Trips.................................................. 83 Angler Trip Expenditures....................................... 86 Alternative Recreational Activities....................... 87 Other Data................................................................ 91 Angler Characteristic Data................................................ 103 Estimated Total Angler Trips and Angler Expenditures........... 11 O Conclusions..................................................................................... 114 V. DEMAND AND BENEFIT ESTIMATION FOR ANGLERS OF THE MOUNTAIN FORK RIVER TROUT FISHERY.................... 117 Specification of the Basic Demand Estimation Model............. 117 Data................................................................................................... 124 Estimation of Demand and Benefits for MFR Trout Fishing Anglers...................................................... 126 Demand Estimation............................................................ 126 Benefit Estimation............................................................... 130 Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery.............................................................................. 140 VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.......................................................... 147 Summary.......................................................................................... 147 Conclusions..................................................................................... 150 Management and Policy Decisions................................. 152 Additional Research........................................................... 154 Limitations............................................................................ 155 V Chapter Page BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................... 157 APPENDIX................................................................................................... 166 APPENDIX A - SURVEY INSTRUMENTS................................. 167 APPENDIX B - ESTIMATION OF AVERAGE HOURS OF FISHING AND TOTAL NUMBER OF TRIPS WINTER, 1990 ........................................................................... 194 APPENDIX C- ESTIMATION OF CONSUMER SURPLUS (ANGLER BENEFITS) WINTER, 1990.............. 196 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 3.1. Geographic Distribution of Sampled Anglers by Postcard, Creel and Telephone Surveys, Mountain Fork River, 1989 - 1991 .................................................................... 51 3.2. The Response Rate of the Telephone Survey for the Mountain Fork River Anglers............................................... 55 4.1. Estimated Seasonal Angler Hours and Trout Harvest for the First Three Years of the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery, 1989 - 1991.................................................... 72 4.2. Place of Residence for Samples of Anglers at the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery, 1989 - 1991.......................... 7 4 . 4.3. One-Way Travel Distance to the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery for Samples of Anglers, 1989 - 1991......................................................................... 80 4.4. Estimated Hours of Fishing Per Trip for Samples of Anglers at the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery, 1989-1991......................................................................................... 81 4.5. Length of Trip for Samples of Anglers at the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery, 1989 - 1991............................................ 82 4.6. Seasonal Number of Fishing Trips Per Angler to the Mountain Fork River Trout Fishery, 1989 - 1991.......................... 84 4.7. Total Number of Fishing Trips to Other Locations for Samples of Anglers to the Mountain Fork River, 1989 - 1991 ............................................................................. 85 4.8. Frequency of Fishing Trips per Year to the Mountain Fork River Prior to Establishment of the Trout Fishery on January 1, 1989. ...........................................................