Economic analysis of recreational fishing in Western Australia through COVID-19

Project description:

In the early stages of Western Australia’s COVID-19 outbreak, changes in travel and recreational behaviour led to increased fishing activity in regional areas. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation funded research to investigate the changes to recreational fishing participation during COVID-19 (FRDC Project: 2022-001). BDO was engaged as part of this project to investigate economic indicators to provide insights from economic contribution and consumer surplus modelling.

BDO’s role:

As part of the engagement, BDO:

• Modelled fishing activity and expenditure across Western Australia to estimate regional and state level impacts
• Estimated regional consumer surplus using travel cost methodology, capturing the non-market value fishers derive from their experience
• Applied input-output modelling to quantify the economic contribution of recreational fishing, including gross state product, employment, and household income
• Led workshop discussion of implementing these economic indicators in fisheries management frameworks.

Project outcomes:

The project assisted in understanding the changes in recreational fishing participation in WA through identifying appropriate economic indicators. The analysis highlighted the value of recreational fishing through both market and non-market measures. This project also provided recommendations on improvements in future data collection and economic indicators that would better inform management objectives.

Funding

FRDC Project: 2022-001 Exploring changes in recreational fishing participation and catch due to COVID-19 - A WA case study is supported by funding from the FRDC on behalf of the Australian Government