Volume 52
A Longitudinal Perspective on the Social and Economic Characteristics of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Charter and Party Boat Industry
Authors
Ditton, R.B.; Sutton, S.G.; Holland, S.M.; Stoll, J.R.; Milon, J.W. Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 1999
Pages: 372-384
Event: Proceedings of the Fifty Second Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Key West, Florida
Country: USA
Abstract
Three hundred and five charter boat operators were randomly selected and interviewed in the five-state V.S. Gulf of Mexico study area (including the Florida Keys); this constituted 24% of the estimated population (1,275) of charter boats in the region. Interviews were also completed with operators of 43 of the 92 party boats (47%) in the same region. Personal interviews were completed between March and September 1998. Interviews lasted from 30 - 60 minutes and covered a range of topics including: demographics, previous experience, community tenure; boat description and recreational fishing products offered; species dependence; financial operations and economic impact; and their opinions on problems facing the industry and fisheries management in the V.S. Gulf of Mexico. This study sought to replicate two previous studies conducted in 1987 by Ditton et al. (1989) and Holland et al (1989). The paper provides a longitudinal perspective on the charter and party boat industry in the V.S. Golf of Mexico with regard to increases or decreases in boat fleet size; total annual number of trips made, average number of anglers per trip, and boat-trip base fees in standardized V.S. Dollars. Discussion will focus on understanding the resultant trends, charter and party boat definitional problems, methodological challenges, and usefulness of the data in support of fisheries management.