How much is it worth?

Pilar · 07-01-2002, 12:31 PM

Have you ever stopped to ponder how much your stop at the coast tackle shop is worth to the proprietor of that business? The gas you buy, the bait, the kicker fuel hose you left at home and replace at the ramp. Little Timmy's new pole to replace the one that got slammed in the truck door?

It would sure be useful to know how much money we as fishers spend pursuing our passion. In the fight for recognition by the regulating authorities money is a good in.

The problem is that we fishers as political activists are the late show. The commercial guys have been having their say for as long as the fisheries have been regulated. Out of pure self interest.

So all of the politicians and media only recognize commercial fishers and their interests as legitimate and newsworthy. After all we are 'recreational' fishers, yes? How can anyone take that seriously?

We spend money and lots of it, that's how!

Does anyone know how much? Or what would happen if we all found something to do besides play with boats at the coast?

I have an idea and you can help. I need Marie's help as well. Marie, tell us how to make my idea work from a tackle store owner/proprietor viewpoint.

It goes like this.

1) We get a survey going at the businesses on the coast that are affected by fishers like you and me. Collecting information about what you are fishing for, what you are buying and how much you spend is the goal.

2) The people who fish at the coast keep logs of their trips. Hours on the water, where you fished and what the bag was.

3) The information is shared with the political reps from the areas in question. We can raise their awareness to something other than commercial fishermen.

Using the information gathered we can do several things. First and foremost we can make our economic impact known and quantified. Second we can establish a presence on these regulating authorities radar scopes. The types of fish caught, how many and what is released would greatly help in arguing for closures or against them. Many arguments are used by the current commercial fishers to justify their activities and the 'right' to continue their overfishing.

Including .... 'We've been here for years and how will we make a living if you .... etc, etc..'

'We are the only significant users of the fishery'

and of course 'The economic impact will devastate the coastal economy if we can't fish anymore'.

We as private citizens and fishers can make the same arguments. We are however lacking in hard data to back it up.

So ... help me out here. We need a survey form distributed to the businesses on the coast. How do we manage that? Mail it? How do you get these businesses involved?

Maybe the cashier asks the obvious fisher where they are fishing, what they are fishing for and notes the money spent. More work for the business but worth it because the businesses will miss the recreational fisher when we lose the right to fish in the ocean.

What do you think?

[ 07-01-2002, 01:33 PM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

Threemuch · 07-01-2002, 12:48 PM

I don't know how much this represents to the coastside businesses, but my wife totaled up my boat and fishing releated expenses this year, and I am over the $4K mark, including fuel, but not including the boat I bought. Almost all of that was spent in Oregon.
KB

OceanBlue · 07-01-2002, 01:02 PM

The number I came away with from our meeting at Jantzen Beach was .5 BILLION a year... That's what Oregon Saltwater fishers pump into the economy. Now, that's the note I have... I don't have a source, unfortunately.

Mark Mc · 07-01-2002, 08:17 PM

A rep from Oregon Sea Grant recently told me that the commercial fishing industry contribution makes up about 7 % of the coastal economy, while sportfishing activities
make up about 20 % of the coastal economy. He did say that the sport contribution is harder to measure than the commercial, but even so the difference is very significant.

I will see what I can do about getting this data in writing.......... Mark Mc

skein · 07-11-2002, 05:49 PM

I'm doing it now. My wife and I are headed to Vancouver Island for a month and we spend a lot of money getting ready (too much) and a lot while we're there. I try not to buy everything before I go because the shops up there who provide us with tips and techniques for free should also get to provide us with some tackle for $$$. They need my money to survive and I need to have them around as a friend and a resource.

I'm going to keep a detailed list of what I spend in each country, then not only share that info with the ifish gang, but also send a copy to the shop owner up north.

I'm impressed with what I've already put out - and I do this trip at least once every two years. Sportfishers are GOOD for the economy!

Skein

black magic · 07-11-2002, 08:00 PM

Pilar,
I recieved a questionaire about three weeks ago from the US Army Corps of Engineers asking lots of questions about how much money I spend near Tillamook Bay. I recieved this because I am a Moorage holder at the Port of Garibaldi. I assume the survey is probably part of an economic impact statement for possible dredging (this is, of course a blind guess). I will see if I can gain any information about this Survey.