Do Fish Consumption Advisories Affect Reservoir Anglers' Site Choice?
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review
Volume
26
Issue
2
Publication Date
1997
First Page
198
Last Page
204
Abstract
Increasing numbers of freshwater ecosystems have had sportfish consumption advisories posted in recent years. Advisories are sometimes issued in lieu of environmental remediation if they are considered more cost-effective than “cleaning up” the resource, but this approach assumes that anglers adjust behavior in response to the warning. Previous studies, however, suggest that compliance with advisories can be quite low. In contrast, this study measures a statistically significant response by reservoir anglers to consumption advisories. In particular, anglers are less likely to choose to visit a reservoir with an advisory than a similar reservoir without an advisory. Furthermore, the economic losses due to advisories are quantified for anglers in two regions of Tennessee.
Recommended Citation
Jakus, Paul M., Mark Downing, Mark S. Bevelhimer and J. Mark Fly. 1997. “Do Fish Consumption Advisories Affect Reservoir Anglers’ Site Choice?” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 26(2):198-204.