Economic Impacts of Catch Reallocation from the Commercial Fishery to the Recreational Fishery in Hawaii

Abstract

The recent expansion of the longline commercial fishery has heightened the conflicts among various fisheries in Hawaii, especially between long-liners and other commercial fishing boats (troll and handline) and recreational boats. A recent court ruling against longline fishing in some waters around the Hawaiian Islands may provide an impetus for the expansion of nonlongline commercial activities, which may in turn give rise to conflicts between that fishery and the recreational fishery. This study examines the economic impacts of reallocating the catch of one nonlongline commercial fishing trip to the recreational fishery using the 1992 input–output model for Hawaii. The results show that by itself this shift raises value added per unit of fish landed but lowers overall income and employment. When trade and distribution services are included in the analysis, value added, income, and employment are all lower. When the effects of the decrease in personal consumption expenditures on other sectors as a result of the increase in expenditures on recreational fishing are also taken into account, the total losses in value added, income, and employment are even greater. However, the total indirect impacts of the shift from commercial to recreational fishing on value added, income, and employment are positive in all cases.