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Economic Contribution and Profile of Marine Recreational Fishing in the Cobscook Bay Region

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Economic Contribution and Profile of Marine Recreational Fishing in the Cobscook Bay Region ECONOMIC IMPACT AND PROFILE OF MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHING IN COBSCOOK BAY MAINE Prepared by Kevin Athearn, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Economics University of Maine at Machias and Christopher Bartlett Marine Extension Associate University of Maine Cooperative Extension Maine Sea Grant College Program May 2008 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank Maine Sea Grant, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and the Center for Tourism Research and Outreach for funding this project. We would like to acknowledge Bruce Joule at the Maine Department of Marine Resources for his advice on conducting recreational fishing surveys and for providing informational brochures for survey participants. We would like to thank Inez Lombardo for her many hours at the Eastport Breakwater and other locations counting and interviewing anglers. Also, this report benefited from comments by Dr. Andrea Ednie on an earlier draft. Finally, we would like to extend our appreciation to the numerous anglers who participated in the survey. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 RESEARCH METHODS ....................................................................................................2 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................7 Description of Fishing Locations.............................................................................7 Boating Angler Profile.............................................................................................8 Eastport Breakwater Angler Count, Segment Profiles, and Economic Impact .......9 Miscellaneous Angler Comments..........................................................................12 CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................13 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................16 APPENDIX........................................................................................................................17 Figure 1. Map of Cobscook Bay region.................................................................17 Figure 2. Average number of anglers per day at the Breakwater by month ..........18 Figure 3. Percent of angler fishing days in each angler segment...........................18 Figure 4. Location of primary residence for nonlocal angler segments ................19 Figure 5. Percent keeping vs. releasing fish for different angler segments ...........19 Figure 6. Household income categories for different angler segments .................20 Figure 7. Percent of adult respondents in different age categories........................20 Table 1. Relationship between angler segment, income, and intention for fish ....21 Table 2. Total angler fishing days & local spending at the Eastport Breakwater..21 Table 3. Local economic impact of fishing at the Eastport Breakwater................22 Table 4. Local spending profiles per angler fishing day at the Breakwater ..........22 iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Our study investigates marine recreational fishing activity in the Cobscook Bay region during the summer of 2007. Specific objectives are to estimate the number of fishing trips, describe characteristics of anglers and their trips, and estimate county-level economic impacts generated by the fishing trips. This report describes our research methods and presents the results of our study. Primary data collection involved counting observed anglers and conducting a visitor intercept survey at selected sites on selected days. We took a random sample of one weekday and one weekend day per week between May 26th and September 30th, 2007. We attempted a census of all anglers at the Eastport Breakwater on selected days and made sporadic checks at five other locations. We completed 205 full interviews of shoreside anglers at the Eastport Breakwater and 10 interviews of private boat anglers mostly at other locations in the region. We define angler fishing days as one person fishing on one day. Based on our counting of observed anglers on randomly selected days, we estimate 2,690 shoreside angler fishing days for the Eastport Breakwater between May 26th and September 30th, 2007. We were not able to collect adequate data to estimate the number of private boat anglers or shoreside anglers at other locations. We believe that the number of private boat anglers is substantial, but that shoreside anglers at other locations are far fewer than at the Eastport Breakwater. Most fishing trips to the Breakwater occur in late July, August, and September when the mackerel are present. August is the most popular month, averaging 43 anglers per weekday and 63 anglers per weekend day at the Breakwater in 2007. Approximately 72% of angler fishing days at the Breakwater are day trips from a primary residence or owned summer home, whereas 28% are part of an overnight trip. Five distinct angler segments, including 3 different day trip segments and 2 different overnight trip segments, are identified. Profiles are created for each angler segment, based on the interview data. Local businesses may find the angler profile information useful in targeting anglers. Although recreation is an important aspect of fishing for nearly everyone, its role as a source of food is important for many anglers at the Eastport Breakwater. More than 69% of anglers report intending to keep the fish to eat. The intention of catching and releasing or keeping the fish is related to income. Lower income anglers are less likely to release and more iv likely to keep the fish to eat. Fishing at the Breakwater is often part of a family trip, and about one-third of angler parties have kids fishing with them. The average angler party spent $42 per angler fishing day in 2007, but expenditure amounts varied widely according to angler segment. Washington County residents spent an average of about $12 per angler fishing day, whereas anglers on overnight trips not primarily to fish spent an average of about $104 per angler fishing day. Spending by nonresident anglers as part of their fishing trips to the Eastport Breakwater generated an economic impact of about $77,500 in local value of sales between May 26th and September 30th, 2007. An estimated $20,700 in additional income accrued to Washington County residents (about $1.50 per household) as a result of marine recreational fishing at the Breakwater during that time period. The economic impact of recreational fishing at the Eastport Breakwater is not large compared to major tourist attractions, but is significant for the town of Eastport and Washington County. Marine recreational fishing provides other important, but less quantifiable, benefits for the region. It provides an inexpensive source of recreation for people of all ages. For many households, especially those in lower income brackets, saltwater fishing is an important source of food. Mackerel is by far the most popular species targeted from the Breakwater, but boaters often target other species as well. Other species targeted include flounder, cod, halibut, harbor pollock, striped bass, and shark. Fish abundance is reportedly not as great as in years past, but still appears adequate to support a substantial recreational fishery. At least six locations in the Cobscook Bay region have good infrastructure for recreational fishing, including breakwaters, piers, floating docks, and boat ramps. Much of this infrastructure appears underutilized. Besides the Breakwater, piers and docks at the other locations are used infrequently for shoreside fishing, and most boat ramps are seldom crowded. Washington County offers excellent fishing opportunities, both in freshwater and saltwater. Greater efforts to promote the Cobscook Bay area and Washington County as a fishing destination could attract additional visitors and increase the economic impact of recreational fishing. v INTRODUCTION The Cobscook Bay region lies in eastern Washington County and is the easternmost corner of the United States. It is bordered by Passamaquoddy Bay and New Brunswick to the northeast and by the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine to the east and south, respectively. A map of the region is shown in the Appendix (Figure 1). The Cobscook Bay area contains vast woodlands, sparsely populated landscapes, and small towns. It is a place where rivers and bays converge with the sea. It features the highest tides in the eastern United States and abundant marine life. The area has a rich cultural heritage based on natural resource harvesting, both from land and sea. Nature-based tourism has been identified as a promising economic development opportunity for Maine and, in particular, Washington County (Flanagan; VRC). Washington County is Maine’s poorest county in terms of household income (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008a) and currently attracts only 1.5% of overnight visits in the state (VRC). The county lacks a big tourist draw, but features smaller natural attractions, such as Quoddy Head State Park, the Bold Coast Trail, Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, Cobscook Bay State Park, and numerous outdoor recreation opportunities.
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