ABOUT THE COMMITTEE
The Socioeconomic Committee of the CFR Partnership serves in a support role for other Committees by providing estimates and/or analyses of the economic costs and benefits associated with natural or anthropogenic changes to the CFR.
Such changes may be the result of specific projects, regulatory actions or natural changes to the River, or may be changes in the ecosystem services provided by the CFR that are expected or hypothesized to take place in the future.
ACHIEVEMENTS & CHALLENGES
In partnership with Cape Fear River Watch, the Socioeconomic Committee currently has one project under consideration for funding by NOAA: “The Economic Value of Recreational Catch Improvements in the Cape Fear River Basin, Phase II – Linking Improvements in Migratory Fish Passage to Economic Benefits of Fisheries in the Cape Fear River”. The overall objective of this project is to increase the understanding and awareness of the economic value of the recreational ecosystem services provided by the Cape Fear River and how those values might be impacted by changes in fish passage at Lock and Dams 1, 2 and 3 and fish habitat conditions that might take place with active efforts to improve fish passage and habitat quality. If funded, this project will use non-market valuation methods to assess:
- The nature and degree of public recreational fishing in the Cape Fear River
- Public perceptions of the Cape Fear River regarding recreational fishing opportunities and water quality
- Public’s willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in recreational catch in the Cape Fear River as associated with the Cape Fear River Basin Action Plan for Migratory Fish (Cape Fear River Partnership 2013)
- The potential increase in recreational fishing effort and expenditure that will occur due to improvements in fishing quality as associated with the Cape Fear River Basin Action Plan for Migratory Fish (NOAA 2013)
Data collection is slated to take place in 2018 and 2019, with analysis, reporting and outreach in 2019.
COMMITTEE UPDATES
News and project updates relating to outreach and socioeconomics.
Angler’s Willingness to Pay for Recreational Catch Improvements in the Cape Fear River
Angler's Willingness to Pay for Recreational Catch Improvements in the Cape Fear River PROJECT UPDATE Presented by Dr. Peter Schuhmann, President
One Man’s Vision for the Black River
ONE MAN'S VISION FOR THE BLACK RIVER