The Bioeconomic Impact of Impingement and Entrainment on Yellow Perch in Lake Erie

Abstract

This study assesses the bioeconomic effects of the J. R. Whiting power plant on the yellow perch (Perca fiavescens) sport fishery in the Michigan waters of western Lake Erie in Monroe County. The surplus production model was applied to yellow perch commercial and sport catch-and-effort data. The model estimated the yellow perch population in the Lake Erie waters of Monroe County to be approximately 1.074 x 10 10 fish. The Leslie matrix, a density-independent mathematical model, then simulated the effects of impingement and entrainment by the J. R. Whiting plant on this population over the plant's 50-year life expectancy (1952-2002). The combined effect of impingement and entrainment represents an estimated annual reduction of 1.7% in the size of the yellow perch population. Assuming that a 1.7%-reduction in population size will cause a 1.7%-reduction in the sport catch rate of yellow perch, a computerized simulation model of Great Lakes angling demand and supply was used to estimate the net economic loss associated with a reduced catch rate of yellow perch. The estimated loss ranged from approximately $25,000 to $96,000 each year (1980 dollars).