Abstract

Dive charter boat operators along the Texas coast were asked to provide names and addresses for a representative sample of their diving customers. A random sample of 1,059 sport divers was selected from dive charter boat records; 614 divers took trips to the Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary and 445 divers in proportion to the known number of non-Flower Gardens trips by coastal region. An 11-page mail questionnaire was used to collect social and economic data from the sample of divers. Of the 1,059 questionnaires mailed, 528 were returned usable for an overall effective response rate of 56.2%. About 256 (56% of those who went diving in Texas marine waters in the previous 12 months) indicated they took one or more trips in the previous 12 months to artificial reefs in Texas offshore waters. This paper will focus on the group of sport divers who used artificial reefs. Artificial reefs included manmade materials deployed as bottom reefs, wrecks, and standing oil and gas platforms. Most divers participated in activities such as night diving (81%), underwater photograpby (53%), wreck diving (52%), and marine identification (52%); only 25% participated in spear fishing. Two estimates of sport diver offshore trip days (1,985 and 5,953) were multiplied by the average per trip expenditure for Texas residents ($162) yielding estimated total expenditures (direct economic impact) in coastal communities of $261,439 to $784,106. Total expenditures in coastal communities by non-residents ofTexas were considerably less ($58,885 to $ 176,606). The overall economic impacts of artificial reef diving in Texas where dive charter boats were used to access offshore reefs are presented in terms of changes in total output, income, and total employment. this paper excluded private boat divers who used artificial reefs offshore and charter and private boatdivers accessing the FlowerGardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The overall economic impact of sport diving in Texas would be higher if these other segments were included. Finally, the paper will emphasize methods and address methodological difticulties involved in studying this particular group of marine resource users and their activities.

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