Hawaii hosts many different fishing tournaments each year, on every island. These tournaments range in scale, from small, charity-driven tournaments, to high stakes tournaments with entry fees exceeding $30,000. Residents of both the mainland and Hawaii participate in Hawaiis fishing tournaments, contributing thousands of dollars to the local economy. This study surveyed both operators and participants from fourteen tournaments throughout the state of Hawaii in 2018, and obtained economic data pertaining to both participating in, and operating a fishing tournament. The economic importance of fishing tournaments in Hawaii to both communities and businesses was assessed through conducting an economic contribution analysis in IMPLAN using the survey data. The results from this study can be of great worth to fishery managers in assessing potential economic impacts of regulatory decisions affecting recreational and sport fishing in Hawaii.

Recent management of cobia (Rachycentron canadum), a popular saltwater target of anglers in the Southeastern U.S., has been challenging due to high levels of recreational effort and harvests that occur largely in state waters and can be difficult to predict. In the fall of 2017, a stated preference survey was developed and distributed to recreational saltwater anglers in Virginia to collect data that could be used to improve our understanding of angler preferences, decision-making, and behavioral responses to cobia regulations. In addition to containing questions on fishing behavior and expenditures, the survey also included a series of discrete choice experiments, where respondents were asked to select their most preferred alternative after being presented with different hypothetical fishing trips targeting cobia, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), or summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus). A mixed logit model was used to estimate angler preferences associated with hypothetical trip attributes, prior fishing behavior, and regulatory environment. Changes in fishing expenditures and angler welfare resulting from hypothetical changes in cobia regulations were then assessed. Behavioral responses to shifts in cobia regulations were found to produce relatively small changes in fishing-related expenditures though large changes in angler welfare. This was due to a tendency to switch between alternative target species in response to regulations, similar costs of targeting different species, and a high willingness-to-pay for cobia trips. Using catch, harvest and directed fishing effort data provided through the Marine Recreational Information Program, it is estimated that the 2017 Virginia private boat recreational cobia fishery produced $21.39 million in fishing expenditures and $46.59 million (se = $4.31 x 10^6) in angler consumer surplus. The high level of angler benefits generated by the recreational cobia fishery in Virginia, as well as their sensitivity to regulatory conditions, suggests that angler welfare should be considered when designing and evaluating alternative management strategies.

Marine recreational fishing has a growing trend around the world and highly migratory species play an important role since they are of great interest for anglers. As recreational fishing increases, conflicts may arise with commercial fishing; therefore, it is necessary to develop appropriate regulations to allow the coexistence of both activities. The commercial fishing of billfish in Mexico began at 1960s with the Japanese longline fleet. After Mexico signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Japanese vessels left the area and Mexico developed its own commercial fleet. The recreational billfish fishery began to develop a few years later. The emergence of the recreational fleet gave rise to strong technological interdependences with the commercial fleet, resulting in conflicts, for which regulations were amended; the commercial fishery of marlins was banned in 1990, reserving its catch exclusively for recreational purposes. The aim of this study is to expose the economic effects of change from commercial to recreational regime for striped marlin (Kajikia audax) in Baja California, Mxico. A bioeconomic model was integrated based on an age-structured model. The model showed that the transition from commercial to recreational fishing allowed the stock to recover and that annual recreational fishing profits are around US$17 million. The model does not foresee significant changes in demand, so the sustainability of the activity will depend on the catch rates and economic variables, such as costs, prices and other sites for the activity.