Rex H. Caffey

Oil Impacts on Coastal Wetlands: Implications for the Mississippi River Delta Ecosystem after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

On 20 April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which released a US government—estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, was responsible for the death of 11 oil workers and, possibly, for an environmental disaster unparalleled in US history. For 87 consecutive days, the Macondo well continuously released crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Many kilometers of shoreline in the northern Gulf of Mexico were affected, including the fragile and ecologically important wetlands of Louisianas Mississippi River Delta ecosystem. These wetlands are responsible for a third of the nations fish production and, ironically, help to protect an energy infrastructure that provides a third of the nations oil and gas supply. Here, we provide a basic overview of the chemistry and biology of oil spills in coastal wetlands and an assessment of the potential and realized effects on the ecological condition of the Mississippi River Delta and its associated flora and fauna.

FACTORS INFLUENCING TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN A LOUISIANA AQUACULTURE SYSTEM

A multinomial logit model was estimated and used to analyze the impact of various producer characteristics on the adoption of flow-through and recirculating technology in soft-shelled crab production. Because of the industrys geographic isolation and high turnover rate, data was collected by personal interviews in 1991. The results suggest that increased adoption might be fostered by targeting education programs towards full time, family operated businesses in nontraditional production regions. However, development of effective education programs may be hindered by the lack of a significant relationship between producer adoption decisions and the information provided by university or extension personnel.

Developing Consensus Indicators of Sustainability for Southeastern United States Aquaculture

Many diverse, conflicting stakeholders groups are activeley engaged in an increasingly volatile debate over the proper definition and application of sustainability in aquaculture. Attempts to find common-ground on general sustainability goals and parameters have not yet been successful. This study illustrates the potential of utilizing a Delphi approach to identify and refine consensus indicators of sustainability along three separate disciplinary axes; environmental, economic, and sociological. In fact, nonparametric statistical analysis of sustainability categories and indicators indicated a high level of consensus among and between diverse stakeholder groups after the Delphi process.

An Evaluation of Factors Affecting the Choice of Coastal Recreational Activities

A visitor’s decision to use a particular recreational site is influenced by the individual’s taste as well as the characteristics of the site. For this reason, improved knowledge of the visitors’ interests and factors influencing their choices are vital for both planning and policy formulations in coastal development. This study examines visitor characteristics and desired site specific characteristics in order to determine the factors affecting use of the Louisiana coast for specific recreational purposes. We use a multinomial logit model and internet survey data to evaluate the factors affecting individuals’ decisions to visit coastal Louisiana for a specific use. Results suggest that the major variables affecting the choice of coastal recreational activities include environmental quality of the site, income, and travel time.

Management Ability and the Economics of Recirculating Aquaculture Production Systems

A bioeconomic model of fish growth in recirculating aquaculture systems was constructed by developing a bioenergetic model comprised of metabolic sub-models for growth, ammonia production, and oxygen consumption. Metabolite accumulations are determined by exogenous control variables for filtration and aeration and used to indirectly represent management ability. Numerical solutions to model parameters were obtained using a two point boundary shooting algorithm within a dynamic profit maximization framework. Optimal trajectory, isoquant, and bioeconomic optimization analyses describe specific tradeoff relationships existing between nutrition, density, and technology. Results demonstrate the economic importance of these relationships changes over time in response to fish weight, and not always in ways suggested by the physical importance of individual factors. Specifically, economically viable tradeoffs between dietary protein and stocking density occur over relatively narrow regions of management ability. Without highly experienced and capable management, the biological realities of recirculating systems may preclude profitable system operation.

Cost-Efficacy in Wetland Restoration Projects in Coastal Louisiana

The Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) provides one of the largest sources of U.S. funding for wetland restoration. A preliminary economic analysis of the CWPPRA program questioned the program’s selection of cost efficient wetland restoration projects, specifically related to the funding of barrier island projects, and recommended a more rigorous statistical analysis of the data (Aust 2006). We conducted an analysis to determine what available variables, such as wetland loss, influence CWPPRA project selection for funding. We found that the program was selecting cost-effective projects overall. Cost efficacy varied significantly by restoration project type, with barrier island restoration having the greatest cost/benefit. We present possible justifications for funding these projects despite the higher cost/benefit. This paper will help participants of this restoration program and others in evaluating how projects are developed, evaluated and selected for funding.

Opening a Public Recreation Area to Revitalize Coastal Communities and Preserve Natural Resources in Louisiana: The Case of Elmer's Island

The income capitalization approach is used, based on expenditure and nonmarket values collected from travel-cost and contingent valuation methodologies, to measure the feasibility of running a self-sustaining recreational site in coastal Louisiana. Through Internet and intercept surveys, a total of 2,696 respondents, 88% of them anglers, provided information on economic expenditures, destination preferences, and preferences for specific site amenities regarding Elmers Island. The purchase and subsequent opening of the area to the public were found to be self-sustaining even when considering conservative economic estimates.

Economic Impacts of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Recreational For-Hire Fishing Industry

IMPLAN Version 3.0 was used with a 2008 IMPLAN data package to estimate the economic impacts of the recreational for-hire (RFH) fishing industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Initial, direct, indirect, and induced impacts were estimated. Impacts were estimated for head, charter, and guide boat operations for Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama (combined), and West Florida as individual state models, while introducing multiregional spillover effects that account for regional linkages between states. These updated data are necessary to meet national standards set forth by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, such that social and economic ramifications of proposed federal fishing regulations in the GOM can be made part of the overall decision- and policymaking process.

Resiliency of the Coastal Recreational For-Hire Fishing Industry to Natural Disasters

The financial condition of US Gulf of Mexico recreational-for-hire (RFH) fishing firms post-hurricane damage was examined within the context of the industry’s contribution to the resiliency of coastal socio-ecological systems (SES). Three key financial ratios—return-on-assets, assets turnover ratio, and debt-to-assets ratio—were calculated for 2009 from balance sheets and cash flow statements constructed from surveys of 247 RFH firms operating in the five Gulf states. The ratios were then recalculated using reported damage and operational losses from at least one named storm in the 2004–2008 period and combined with the results of a logistic regression model of profitability loss to assess the resiliency of the RFH industry. Results suggest that RFH firm resiliency was a function of operating class (head, charter, and guide boats), homeport, and the way in which the business was structured. Firms appeared to be the most resilient when they employed smaller vessels in intensively managed operations, perhaps due to their ability to move a vessel out of the path of storms and because their profitability and efficiency advantages allowed for self-insurance against losses. As a result, community contributions to, and benefits from, resiliency in the RFH industry may hinge on the development of more modern port facilities and well-functioning insurance markets.

Determining the effect of environmental accidents on responses to a Gulf of Mexico recreational for-hire fishing industry survey.

A survey designed to collect economic, attitudinal and policy data from the recreational for-hire (RFH) fishing industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was conducted before and during the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history (the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout). Respondents were grouped into two time periods based on when the survey was completed, where the break in groups was determined through the examination of the Pew Research Centers media coverage index and the per cent of fishing area closures due to the oil spill. A logistic regression was used to test variables that might predict the time period of a response. Results indicated that recall bias was not present in the financial variables examined, but that firm operating and demographic characteristics (i.e. vessel size, annual number of trips, number of vessels operating in the firm, tenure and household income) were significant in explaining the time period in which surveys were completed.