Value of a sport caught salmon vs a commercial caught salmon

[trendsetter]

Has anyone ever looked at how much we actually spend on our hobby on a per fish basis? I made a trip over from the mainland yesterday for a day of coho fishing off sooke. I had a great time, hooked into 15 or so fish and brought home my sport limit of 3 coho and 1 winter spring salmon.

In order to have the pleasure of that day, I spent a total of $348.31 including tax. I don't mind that it cost that, this is my favorite pass time and I make these trips a dozen or so times each year. (Sooke, Bamfield, Ucluelet etc)

So in this case the cost works out to $87.08 per salmon retained, injected into our local economy. How much do you think each commercially caught salmon injects into the local economy? I doubt it's even close.

Of course some trips are less expensive and some are more expensive so the numbers would change. But this at least is a real world example of the sustainable economic benefit sport fishing can provide.


P.S. I highly recommend NOT telling your wife what the actual cost per fish works out to be

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Just curious did you tow+take the ferry from the mainland or did you drive your boat?

 

[trendsetter]

Just curious did you tow+take the ferry from the mainland or did you drive your boat?

I left my boat at home. I took the ferry over and rented a boat for the day. In the summer I sometimes drive the boat over if the weather is nice. Cost is roughly the same for me.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Cool sounds like you had good time! Which I had the time! If I added all the trips togther and devided it by the number of fish in the freezer I am sure it's much higher than you number abouve. But for me it's all about getting out there and giving it go!

 

[Sculpin]

I don't even want to add up how much that one tuna cost on Sept.1st of this year .

 

[finaddict]

Your total for those fish is very close to the estimated average for sports caught fish. I am not exactly sure about the numbers but I do remember a study done by the Fraser institute(I think) some years ago that noted that the commercial fishing industry was a NET DRAIN on the economy. That meant that the cost of all the boats,licenses, repairs, equipment, management by DFO and federal transfer payments (i.e. E.I.) was more than the total contribution to the Gross Domestic Product. By comparison, the Sports fishing industry (which does nothing but contribute to the GDP through the distribution of wealth and tourism) was worth over 800 million annually to B.C.

Now which horse would YOU want to back in an economic downturn (i.e. extended recession)???

 

[pescador]

Not sure what it costs me to catch each fish I take home each year.......but....its worth every dollar. My guess this year is each fish cost close to $ 150 because catch rates were lower.

 

[trendsetter]

Your total for those fish is very close to the estimated average for sports caught fish. I am not exactly sure about the numbers but I do remember a study done by the Fraser institute(I think) some years ago that noted that the commercial fishing industry was a NET DRAIN on the economy. That meant that the cost of all the boats,licenses, repairs, equipment, management by DFO and federal transfer payments (i.e. E.I.) was more than the total contribution to the Gross Domestic Product. By comparison, the Sports fishing industry (which does nothing but contribute to the GDP through the distribution of wealth and tourism) was worth over 800 million annually to B.C.

Isn't that ridiculous? You'd think that this government, which is conservative and supposedly focused on the economy would take steps to adjust the process in favor of sport fishing. Like for example re-allocating fisheries so that after conservation and FN needs were met, the next priority was ensuring a robust and stable rec fishing season for the most important rec species. (Halibut, Chinook, Sockeye, Crab, Prawns).

 

[Seafever]

This year I only caught one Chinook over 15lbs .......and it cost me all told this year.... $12,435.00 dollars Cdn.

 

[scott craven]

This year I only caught one Chinook over 15lbs .......and it cost me all told this year.... $12,435.00 dollars Cdn.

wow, thats one expensive salmon !

 

[fishhunter327]

This year 2 chinook , 1 pink, 2 weeks in terrace ,1 week in bella coola, $3000 total just about $100 per lb.but pricless memories

 

[finaddict]

This year I only caught one Chinook over 15lbs .......and it cost me all told this year.... $12,435.00 dollars Cdn.

You got me beat Seafever.I didn't get a chance to go out more than one trip this year so my 25K for a new motor needs to be split up amongst the 16 salmon we caught. So that would be $1562.00 each or about $86.00 per pound. That does not even include any of the other expenses I incurred

 

[JDR]

You can't put a PRICE on Memories,

If you just want fish go to the grocerey store.

 

[Englishman]

Quite a few details to back up the figures mentioned here are in this link. (I have no idea why the study was based on 1994 data though?)

http://www.envisionhalifax.ca/value-of-recreational-sport-fishing-for-salmon-in-bc

Lots of good economic statistics and information in this one too:-

http://www.fish.bc.ca/files/R-39_EvolutionSalmonFisheries.pdf

And this one is about the economics of freshwater sportfishing

http://www.gofishbc.com/documents/p...ng_Ripples_through_the_Provincial_Economy.pdf

 

[Foxsea]

The commercial and recreational fisheries both have economic value but recreational fishing alone has the cultural, social, environmental and the adventure value, as well. Plus it's just great fun! Accountants can put dollar amounts to fishing but you have to be a kid or a kid at heart (as most of us are) to really appreciate all those greater rewards.

 

[finaddict]

dont wanna start making sense now, the higher ups and ppl in general get all squirrely when ya start making sense..the usual reaction is omg that guy is making sense, we better put the kyebosh on that....politics is the word that comes to mind, and crooked azz at that....also the social benefits to society as a whole are impossible to monetize, but the idiots in ottawa cant seem to comprehend it cause they have no common sense, and these are the same ppl that are representing our views in the house of COMMONS, biggest joke ever......holmes*

"monetize"?

 

[Sharphooks]

Homes chose the perfect word---it's tough to take a good memory and convert that memory into a currency that can be
used to purchase goods and services.

I took my daughter steelheading this fall up on the Skeena---it was a major bonding experience---10 days in a camper camped on the river bank with my 21 Y.O. before she flew the coop. I paid $ 1,300 in gas to get there, maybe $ 500 in groceries, another $ 500 in paper so we could both legally fish

WE didn't get a pile of fish but we got enough to be happy. And they were all turned loose according to the regs (and my own personal attitude about never bonking a native steelhead) so no protein pay-back for our efforts.

So to quote Holmes, how would you monetize the social and psychological benefits of a Dad taking his daughter fishing and getting to know her better, but not having any dead bodies to lay out on the counter to "justify" the expenditure?

It's a slippery slope trying to analyze the value of a commie-caught fish to a sport-caught fish. Intuitively, we'd all agree that pound for pound, a sport-caught fish exceeds the value of a commie-caught fish based on what we individually spend to put one in our coolers.

But what about the housewife who doesn't own a boat and even if she did, doesn't like fishing; all she wants is a piece of sockeye or spring so her family can "eat healthy". If the resource supports the harvest, shouldn't she be able to get a share of it?

The sad fact is, if overnight the regulators saw the value differential between a sport-caught salmon and a commie-caught salmon and based on the economic value alone, decided to do a massive buy-out of the commie salmon fleet and overnight, cancelled commie salmon quotas, a huge swath of the public resource stakeholders would be cheated out of a healthy source of protein.

So what do we do--- let them eat hake?

 

[trendsetter]

I agree totally on the reasons that we all go fishing and that they are not based upon monetary value. Many days I've gone fishing with friends and got skunked but still had a great time. For me it's not about the cost/benefit; the fish are just a huge bonus! What I was thinking about when I looked at that trip cost was that it is glaringly obvious that sport fishing is a hugely productive use of our natural resource.

I also strongly agree that we need some amount of commercial fishery. It just needs to be better managed and balanced in favor of the most productive return on the resource. Reducing or eliminating non-selective and destructive commercial fishing practices like gill netting mixed stocks would be a good start.

Shifting the balance more to the sport fishery and promoting that industry would provide huge benefits to that "house wife" that wants to buy a piece of sockeye. The increase in economic output with the same usage of the resource would mean more jobs, more opportunities, more money flowing through the local economies, more money in the government coffers to pay for social services and reduce the need to fill that gap with income and other taxation.

Maybe the price would go up if BC commercial fisheries were reduced by 20% across the board. But then again maybe it wouldn't. They would still have to compete with the Alaskan fisheries where most of our canned and processed salmon comes from anyways.

 

[Englishman]

Homes chose the perfect word---it's tough to take a good memory and convert that memory into a currency that can be
used to purchase goods and services.

I took my daughter steelheading this fall up on the Skeena---it was a major bonding experience---10 days in a camper camped on the river bank with my 21 Y.O. before she flew the coop. I paid $ 1,300 in gas to get there, maybe $ 500 in groceries, another $ 500 in paper so we could both legally fish

WE didn't get a pile of fish but we got enough to be happy. And they were all turned loose according to the regs (and my own personal attitude about never bonking a native steelhead) so no protein pay-back for our efforts.

So to quote Holmes, how would you monetize the social and psychological benefits of a Dad taking his daughter fishing and getting to know her better, but not having any dead bodies to lay out on the counter to "justify" the expenditure?

It's a slippery slope trying to analyze the value of a commie-caught fish to a sport-caught fish. Intuitively, we'd all agree that pound for pound, a sport-caught fish exceeds the value of a commie-caught fish based on what we individually spend to put one in our coolers.

But what about the housewife who doesn't own a boat and even if she did, doesn't like fishing; all she wants is a piece of sockeye or spring so her family can "eat healthy". If the resource supports the harvest, shouldn't she be able to get a share of it?

The sad fact is, if overnight the regulators saw the value differential between a sport-caught salmon and a commie-caught salmon and based on the economic value alone, decided to do a massive buy-out of the commie salmon fleet and overnight, cancelled commie salmon quotas, a huge swath of the public resource stakeholders would be cheated out of a healthy source of protein.

So what do we do--- let them eat hake?

Great post Sharphooks.

And I love that "- let them eat hake". Very, very, funny. Maybe that is what Marie Antoinette said all the time and it was misheard!!.....LOL

 

[spring time]

Really DFO screwed the working man and the Indians.


how did he screw the natives I really want to know this one. they get to fish when they shouldn't ( run size is low )