IV-211 



oceanographers that approximately 90 per cent of all of the shrimp 

 caught in areas close to the Bay were originally inhabitants of 

 the estuary which served as a "nursery" for these shrimp, a 

 reflection of the economic value of estuaries which is not always 

 recognized. 



To illustrate the commercial fishery value of the estuaries 

 further, shrimp prices (with head off) averaged $.92 per pound in 

 1967. Of the final retail average of $1.30 per pound, five cents 

 per pound represented the wholesaler's markup with the remaining 

 thirty-three cents being received by the retailer. With the 

 conversion factors provided by the price data it can be estimated 

 that the total retail value of the shrimp landings attributable to 

 the Apalachicola estuary is approximately $471,260. 



Table IV. 3. 18 contains the projects of the annual fishery landings 

 values attributable to the estuary. Projects are made for the 

 years 1975, 1980, and 2000. Because oysters and shrimp are highly 

 income elastic products, the value of their production should 

 increase at a rate at least equal to that of the national income. 

 This of course assumes no unusually extreme shifts in supply. A 

 rate of four per cent has been compounded to the base years to 

 approximate the future values of oyster and shrimp landings. 



