tion. Common evidence of the extent of these 

 demands includes the numbers of participants and 

 the dollars spent to participate. In addition to provid- 

 ing a basis or focus for recreational experiences, wild- 

 life and fish occasionally play a critical role in the 

 cultural life of particular subgroups; that role is also 

 included here as a social value. 



A third group of demands is that focused on eco- 

 logical or environmental values. While such demands 

 and values are difficult to precisely define, they are 

 nevertheless real. Ecological demands exist because 

 people believe that wildlife and fish have other than 

 direct market and social values. Such a perception 

 might have a purely philosophical basis, as when wild 

 animals are thought to have an absolute right to exist, 

 or it might be quite pragmatic, as when wild species 

 are thought to provide information that will be of 

 practical importance to people. The clearest evidence 

 of these demands are laws such as the Endangered 

 Species Act. Changes in the numbers of people 

 belonging to organizations that express concerns for 

 the preservation or wise use of wildlife and fish prob- 

 ably are also related to changes in ecological 

 demands. 



Our ability to measure the extent of demands is 

 greatest for products that are sold in commercial 

 markets. Where appropriate data have been com- 

 piled, as for timber products, it is possible to define 

 the quantities sold and likely to be sold at alternative 

 prices — to determine from empirical evidence at 

 least the dollar values that purchasers place on the 

 products. 



Although available information suggests that con- 

 sumers of recreational experiences generally value 

 those experiences more highly than is reflected by the 

 numbers of dollars they spend, there is little agree- 

 ment on how such information can be translated into 

 actual-dollar-spent equivalents." 



Those who are concerned with one category of 

 value often given weight to others; a focus on market 

 values does not rule out an appreciation of social or 

 ecological values. Indeed, there is evidence that, as 

 knowledge of wildlife and fish resources increases, so 

 does the individual's appreciation of all kinds of 

 values. Similarly, many wild species are perceived to 

 have all of these values. Given the previous defini- 

 tions, every species has some ecological value. 



■* Most commonly, the value of recreational experiences to users 

 is estimated by asking them what they would do or pay under 

 certain circumstances. Rationales and methodologies are summar- 

 ized in Dwyer, J. F., F. R. Kelly, and M. D. Bower. Improved 

 procedures for valuation of the contribution of recreation to 

 rational economic development. Res. Rep. 128, Water Resources 

 Center, Univ. Illinois. Urbana. 1977. 



Demands for Market Products 



There are strong worldwide commercial markets 

 for the salmon of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska 

 and a strong European demand for the furs of mam- 

 mals that are trapped throughout the United States. 

 The fish provide a livelihood for substantial numbers 

 of fishermen, and trapping supplements the income 

 of numerous (mostly rural) participants. 



Commercial fishing. — The most direct reflection 

 of the market demand for salmon is its selling price, 

 which has risen more quickly than the average price 

 for all fish since the early 1970's. The United States 

 value at dockside of commercial landings of Pacific 

 salmon reached $1 16 million in 1975 and $196 million 

 in 1976:5 



Dockside value of salmon 





Total 



Price 



Species 



price 

 paid 



per 

 pound 



, -■ 



1975 



1976 



1975 



1976 





Million 

 dollars 



Dollars 



Chinook 



29 51 



0.91 1.49 



Chum 



16 21 



.48 .59 



Pink 



20 28 



.35 .29 



Sockeye 



30 21 



.57 .62 



Coho 



21 45 



.57 1.13 



All species 



116 196 .57 .63 



Salmon are processed for canning or for fresh, fro- 

 zen, or specialty products. This processing adds sig- 

 nificantly to the income and employment generated 

 by salmon. In 1977, salmon fishermen in Alaska 

 received $166 million for the fish while the value of 

 the salmon after processing was about $420 million. 



Domestic demand for edible fishery products in- 

 creased by more than half from 1967 to 1976 because 

 of increasing per capita consumption and a continu- 

 ing growth in population. During the same years, 

 domestic landings increased by only 17 percent. As a 

 consequence, in 1976 nearly two-thirds of the fishery 

 products consumed in the United States were im- 

 ported at a cost of about $1,861 million. Salmon prod- 

 ucts have played an important role in offsetting part 

 of this cost through exports annually valued at about 

 $100 milhon in the mid-1970's. From 1973 through 

 1977, France and Japan together purchased more 

 than half of the total exports. 



'U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries 

 Service. Fisheries of the United States, 1976. Current Fishery 

 Statistics No. 7200. Washington, D.C. 96 p. 1977. 



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