The Ambiguity of Fishing for Fun

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
Year: 2023
Volume: 10
Issue: 4
Pages: 865 - 901

Authors (2)

Jorge Holzer (University of Maryland) Kenneth McConnell (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Recreational fishing is among the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the world. However, uncertainty in angler response to changes in regulation has limited managers’ ability to prevent overfishing. We need to understand the heuristics anglers use to overcome informational and cognitive constraints that may limit their ability to assess stochastic attributes such as catch and environmental amenities. Using data from choice experiments, we specify and estimate preferences that rely on the theory of decision under unknown risks or ambiguity. We build on the observation that anglers interpret possession limits as targets or signals on stock productivity that anchor their expectations on retained catch, to specify a multiple prior model that relies on less onerous assumptions on anglers’ information and numeracy than conventional demand models. We integrate the economic submodel into a bioeconomic model to show that our specification provides better out-of-sample predictions than linear and CARA utility models.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jaerec:doi:10.1086/723495
Journal Field
Environment
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-02-02