WAHLE and VREELAND: BIOECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF FALL CHINOOK SALMON 



Cost Accounting and Value Estimation 



Costs in Table 16 include capital and operation 

 and maintenance costs applicable to the rearing of 

 fall chinook salmon at each study facility. Capital 

 costs for each facility were amortized over a 30-yr 

 period froml940 to 1970 and divided among the 

 species reared at the facilities. Capital costs 

 applied to fall chinook salmon at all study 

 facilities combined were $193,867, $169,616, 

 $193,102, and $186,437 for the 1961-64 broods 

 respectively. 



Operation and maintenance costs were divided 

 into two categories at each facility: fish food and 

 drugs, and other operational costs. Operational 

 costs other than food and drugs include costs for 

 labor, personal services, travel, transportation of 

 items, communication services, equipment, 

 supplies and materials, and administration. Total 

 operational and maintenance costs for the 1961-64 

 broods were $554,171, $489,947, $534,146, and 

 $538,418 respectively. 



Estimation of values is described under Value of 

 Hatchery Contribution. Basically, the weights of 

 commercial catches in each fishery were multi- 

 plied by the appropriate ex-vessel prices. The 

 numbers of sport caught fish in all fisheries were 

 multiplied by $18.35. 



Valuation of the Potential Contributions 



The value of the potential contribution to the 

 fisheries of fall chinook salmon from Spring Creek 

 National Fish Hatchery and Big White Salmon 

 Pond were combined (Table 16). This was done 

 because Spring Creek Hatchery personnel oper- 

 ated the Big White Pond, and Spring Creek fall 

 chinook salmon stock was reared in the pond. Thus 

 available Spring Creek operation and mainte- 

 nance, and capital costs include the Big White 

 facility. Values of Big White contributions were 

 estimated using the ratio: 



Table 16. — Values of the potential contributions, costs of rear- 

 ing, and benefit (B) to cost (C) ratios for fish from each special 

 mark hatchery and all study facilities combined, 1961-64 

 broods.' 



Spring Creek value 



Big White value 



Spring Creek releases Big White releases' 



For example, the 1961-brood Spring Creek value 

 was $797,300. Releases were 10,925,933 and 

 3,545,865 1961-brood chinook salmon for Spring 

 Creek and Big White respectively (Worlund et al. 

 1969). Thus, the Big White Salmon Pond value 

 was estimated at $258,700. Values for the other 

 broods were calculated in the same manner. 



'Values and costs rounded to the nearest $100 

 ^Includes Big White Salmon Pond values and costs 



Combined Spring Creek and Big White values 

 ranged from $373,900 (1962 brood) to $1,917,300 

 (1964 brood). The average value was $1,119,600. 

 The costs averaged approximately $100,000 per 

 brood. Benefit to cost ratios ranged from 4.4 to 1 to 

 17.1 to 1 and averaged 11.2 to 1. The 1961 brood 

 had the largest contribution to the fisheries, yet 

 the 1963 and 1964 broods had higher values. The 

 reason for this is the increase in prices paid for 

 troll caught fish from 1963 to 1969. 



Values for the Kalama River hatcheries ranged 

 from $199,800 (1962 brood) to $582,000 (1963 

 brood). The 1963 brood value was larger than the 

 1961 brood despite a smaller contribution for the 

 1963 brood. Again this was due to higher prices 

 paid for troll chinook salmon in the later years of 

 the study and also a larger 1963 than 1961 brood 

 contribution to Washington and Oregon ocean 

 sport fisheries. The average benefit over the four 

 broods was $414,100. The average cost of rearing 

 was $103,400 per brood. Benefit to cost ratios var- 

 ied from 1.9 to 1 to 6.0 to 1 and averaged 4.0 to 1. 

 The value of Elokomin Hatchery's potential con- 

 tribution was $16,900 for the 1961 brood and the 

 cost of rearing was $53,400. The benefit to cost 

 ratio was then 0.3 to 1. OxBow's 1961 brood value 

 was $93,100 and costs were $42,100 for a benefit to 

 cost ratio of 2.2 to 1. The ratio was much higher for 

 OxBow because OxBow chinook salmon contri- 

 buted more heavily to ocean sport fisheries than 

 Elokomin fish. 



Contributions of 1962-brood Grays River and 

 Cascade Hatchery fish were valued at $56,100 and 



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