INTRASEASON HARVEST REGULATION FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE RECREATION - AN APPLICATION TO FISHERY POLICY

Resource managers often ignore economic information in decisions about recreational use of fish and wildlife resources. By evaluating within-season harvest regulations, economists can identify strategies to improve recreational benefits without compromising management objectives represented in an annual harvest quota. Theoretical analysis raises a potential for bias in applied welfare analysis if regulations inefficiently trade off fishing quality and exogenous seasonality in anglers' demand. Simulations demonstrate that efficient regulations may limit daily harvests during the best fishing season or during the peak season of demand. Inadequate knowledge of recreationists' behavioral responses to quality and regulations currently limits policy assessments.