A travel cost evaluation of the benefits of two destination salmon rivers in Ireland

Fishing for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a popular recreational activity in several northern hemisphere countries. This paper extends the empirical literature using the travel cost method to estimate the demand function for two of Ireland's premier salmon fisheries: the rivers Moy and Corrib. Data were collected by an on-site questionnaire and demand was estimated using count data models. Several findings have relevance to other premier destination Atlantic salmon fisheries. While international visiting anglers are often prized over domestic anglers, this research indicates no difference between domestic and overseas anglers in terms of their angling demand. Second, an estimated price elasticity of demand of −1.04 indicates that anglers at these premier fisheries are quite cost sensitive, which is counter to previous estimates. Whether this result is more generally applicable at other premier salmon angling sites requires further research but it highlights the difficult balance fishery managers face when increasing permit prices. Finally, beyond the impact of higher travel costs on demand, domestic but not overseas anglers' demand declines as distance to the fishing sites increases.Management implicationsResults from this study are useful to improve fishery management in many salmon destinations. Managers may use results to tailor marketing actions across markets and assess the expected changes of fishing activities when manipulating the variables affecting the demand. In particular, most important findings include:
- The daily spending of tourists is high and assures a source of income to local communities;
- A large consumer surplus, suggesting that salmon fishing experience is valuable;
- Local and international anglers are not statistically different, which suggests that these markets are equally attractive;
- An elastic demand that implies that larger prices might reduce the number of trips made by anglers; in this regard a policy acting on price to increase revenues should be evaluated carefully.