The growing demand for water in the arid regions of the West
increases the need for optimal allocation of water among competing
uses. An efficient allocation of water between instream and out-of-stream
uses has been impeded by institutional constraints and the
scarcity of information regarding instream flow benefits. The
objectives of this thesis were to provide preliminary economic data on
the value of instream water in "producing" recreational fishing and to
examine the effect of forestry, agriculture, and livestock practices
on temporal streamflow patterns and anadromous fish production. The
steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) sport fishery within the John Day
River basin in north-central Oregon provided the setting for this
research.
The interdisciplinary methodology employed in estimating the
marginal value of water with respect to steelhead production consisted
of two tasks. The first task involved valuing a marginal change in
the quality of the steelhead recreational fishery. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was selected for this purpose. Both open- and
closed-ended willingness-to-pay (WTP) questions were included in a
questionnaire administered to John Day River steelhead anglers during
the 1986/87 steelhead fishing season. Survey data were analyzed to
arrive at individual and aggregate bid functions relating WTP to
expected angling success rates. Results indicate that, under current
conditions, the average angler is willing to pay approximately $7.20
to catch an additional steelhead.
The second task of the instream water valuation methodology was
directed at deriving a streamflow/steelhead production relationship.
By including variables influencing steelhead production in a Ricker
stock-recruitment model, it was possible to develop a model which
could be estimated using linear regression techniques. Some
difficulty arose, however, with interpretation of the model due to the
unavailability of cohort escapement data and the subsequent use of
standing crop data. While possibly masking the true magnitude of
streamflow's effect on fish production, this drawback was not deemed
limiting within the general context of the interdisciplinary
methodology. Results of the biological model conformed to a priori
expectations. Increases in summer and winter streamflows led to
increased steelhead survival, whereas higher spring flows increased
mortality levels. Other results indicate that the John Day Dam was
responsible for a 31.5 percent decline in the population index for the
1969-1983 period.
Combining the economic and biological results into one equation
yielded an estimate of the marginal value of summer instream water in
"producing" recreational steelhead angling. Similar equations were developed for winter and spring flows. The marginal value of water in producing recreational steelhead fishing within the John Day basin was
estimated at $0.56 per acre-foot for summer flows, $0.046 for winter
flows, and -$0.075 for spring flows. By including out-of-basin
benefits, these values increased to $2.26, $0.19, and -$0.30,
respectively. In comparison, water's value in irrigation within the
John Day basin has been estimated at between $10 to $24 per acre-foot.
However, nonuse values of steelhead, as well as the increased
production of other fish species (such as spring chinook salmon) were
not included in the instream water values. In addition, no attempt
was made at valuing instream water's contribution to boating, camping,
or other benefit-producing activities.
A secondary objective of this thesis was to briefly examine the
possible benefits accruing to other instream and out-of-stream users
due to an alteration in streamflow patterns. In addition, the impact
of activities by other resource users -- namely forestry, agriculture,
and livestock production --on anadromous fish production was
reviewed. Improper management practices by these activities can
negatively impact the aquatic and riparian ecosystems. While no firm
conclusions were drawn, it appears the quality of these ecosystems, as
opposed to the amount of streamflow, has the largest marginal impact
on anadromous fish populations. / Graduation date: 1988
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/26855 |
| Date | 28 July 1987 |
| Creators | Johnson, Neal S. |
| Contributors | Adams, Richard M. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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