The Economic Structure of California's Commercial Fisheries

Contact: Terry Tillman, Senior Fisheries Biologist (530) 669-3564

The California Department of Fish and Game is pleased to announce the availability of the report, The Economic Structure of California's Commercial Fisheries, at the following web-link: www.dfg..ca.gov/marine/economicstructure.asp

California's commercial fishermen generate millions of dollars of ex-vessel revenues annually. However, the full economic contribution made by California's commercial fishermen to local and state economies has been unknown due to the lack of economic data. This report fills the data void, and presents fisheries managers, researchers and stakeholders with the data and specialized tools to bring to light commercial fisheries contribution to the economy of California and its coastal regions.

In addition to the report, the products of this research include the California Ocean Fish Harvester Economic (COFHE) model, a customized impact assessment model built on the IMPLAN impact assessment system. The COFHE models can be downloaded either in IMPLAN format, or in Excel-based "look-up" tables. The Excel tables can be used by individuals who are not familiar with, or not equipped with the IMPLAN system, in order to estimate economic impacts related to California's commercial fisheries.