WELFARE EFFECTS OF FISHERY POLICIES - NATIVE-AMERICAN TREATY RIGHTS AND RECREATIONAL SALMON FISHING

Severe declines in Pacific Northwest salmon stocks, coupled with incre asing recreational demands, and judicial decisions supporting Native A merican fishing rights create challenges for fishery agencies. This ar ticle explores the welfare effects on recreational anglers of alternat ive salmon allocation policies to meet Native American treaty rights. A discrete choice random utility model, coupled with a Poisson trip fr equency model, is used to analyze these welfare effects. The model is fit to survey data from the Willamette River spring chinook fishery, a n important recreational fishery in Oregon. Management options have dr amatically different welfare effects.