The Economic Impacts of the SCUBA Industry and Implications for Marine Protected Areas
Presentation Abstract
While SCUBA diving conditions may not resemble those of the tropics, Washington State provides some of the most spectacular diving in the United States. The flora, fauna and seafloor topography of this area are sensational. However, there is little, if any, information regarding the economic impacts that this recreational sector provides the state of Washington. To fill this gap we designed and implemented a survey of resident divers and dive shop owners in order to collect data on perceptions of the quality of sites, attributes of a preferred sites, number of dives or number of shop employees, expenditures to participate in the sport or run a dive business, and demographic information. The survey was designed to ask pertinent questions needed to characterize the role of SCUBA in inland waters to the Washington State economy. Using the INPLAN model we generated estimates of the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts of participation in SCUBA and dive shop operations. The information generated by this assessment will help inform effective coastal and marine resource management and policy decision making especially as relates to marine protected areas and marine spatial planning.
Session Title
The Value of Recreation and Community in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
People
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Recreational dive industry--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Scuba diving--Law and legislation--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine resources conservation--Economic aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Washington (State); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The Economic Impacts of the SCUBA Industry and Implications for Marine Protected Areas
2016SSEC
While SCUBA diving conditions may not resemble those of the tropics, Washington State provides some of the most spectacular diving in the United States. The flora, fauna and seafloor topography of this area are sensational. However, there is little, if any, information regarding the economic impacts that this recreational sector provides the state of Washington. To fill this gap we designed and implemented a survey of resident divers and dive shop owners in order to collect data on perceptions of the quality of sites, attributes of a preferred sites, number of dives or number of shop employees, expenditures to participate in the sport or run a dive business, and demographic information. The survey was designed to ask pertinent questions needed to characterize the role of SCUBA in inland waters to the Washington State economy. Using the INPLAN model we generated estimates of the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts of participation in SCUBA and dive shop operations. The information generated by this assessment will help inform effective coastal and marine resource management and policy decision making especially as relates to marine protected areas and marine spatial planning.
