Costs, earnings, and employment in the Alaska saltwater sport fishing charter sector, 2015
Abstract
The Alaska Saltwater Sport Fishing Charter Business Survey, a survey that collects economic information from the saltwater sport fishing charter businesses in Alaska, had previously been administered in 2012, 2013, and 2014 to collect data on the 2011-2013 seasons. In 2016, the survey was administered to a random sample of Alaska saltwater sport fishing charter businesses to collect annual costs, earnings, and employment information for the 2015 season. This report describes the 2016 survey and results. Descriptive statistics of the samples of item respondents are presented, as well as population-level estimates of key variables that are adjusted for missing data using sample weighting and data imputation methods.
The adjusted population-level results suggest that in 2015 the Alaska saltwater sport fishing charter sector as a whole operated at a break-even level, one where total costs and revenues offset one another in aggregate, at least statistically: point estimates suggest a small, but statistically insignificant, net loss was accrued by the charter sector. The analysis includes an examination of sector-level trends and provides a basic understanding of the economic conditions in the charter sector in the year following the implementation of the Alaska halibut catch sharing plan (CSP), which was implemented in 2014. The data for 2015 reveal several changes in employment and spending patterns by the charter businesses in the fishery compared to the 2011-2013 period. This includes a marked increase in the number of full-time charter operators and decrease in the number of all part-time workers, regardless of type of worker, and increased investment in capital (vessels). At the same time, average revenues decreased to levels similar to those seen in 2012.
