The Economic Value of Water and Ecosystem Preservation

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changes in one industry will affect other industries. It can also predict how these affects will impact on consumers, government, foreign suppliers, and on the economy. Input-output analysis considers inter-industry relations in an economy, depicting how the output of one industry goes to another industry where it serves as an input, thereby making industries interdependent on another, both as customers of output and suppliers of inputs. An input-output model depicts this dynamic relationship. Job growth and quality continues to be a challenge for rural counties, not only in the Coastal Bend, but nationwide. Aransas, Calhoun, and Refugio counties have many issues in common and several that are unique to the county itself. A common thread running through all the counties is the level of educational attainment. In most cases the levels are significantly less than the State average. This will continue to hamper economic development. Both Refugio and Calhoun are experiencing negative or flat population growth. On the positive side, all three counties have seen decreases in poverty rates over the last ten years and increasing real per capita income that is keeping pace with the national and State rates of growth, although still below the averages. Calhoun stands out with a real average wage per job that is higher than the Texas average. This can be attributed to the high quality (paying) jobs found in the extensive petro-chemical industry in the county. The focus of this analysis was to determine the state of the fisheries industry for the San Antonio Bay area. Any results are only relevant in the context of employment alternatives for those that work in fisheries. Therefore, it was decided that the most likely employment alternatives are mining (oil and gas), construction, and manufacturing. Shift-share analysis allows us to deconstruct the growth or decline in employment and identify the cause for that change, whether it is national, industrial, or competitive trends. Fishing employment in Aransas has eroded at a much faster rate during the time period under study than Calhoun. A negative competitive share in Aransas and zero value for Calhoun suggests that the county does not have a comparative advantage in this sector. Given that the main fisheries are shrimp and oysters it could be argued that these counties would continue to have an advantage, particularly in oysters, where global competition is not as relevant as it is in shrimping. Of greater interest is that the total economic impact of employment loss in the fisheries sector is not nearly as great in any of the remaining three sectors. The multiplier effect is very limited. In the case of Aransas, the growth in mining and construction was able to offset the decline in fisheries and manufacturing, and create a net 376 jobs and income of $17.6 million. For Calhoun, the study period coincided with a scaling back of expansion at the petro-chemical firms and this is reflected in the declining employment numbers. Yet, it still illustrates the greater impact that each of the three industries has on the economy than fishing. Shrimping will continue to feel pressure from imports as well as input prices, such as fuel. Oystering may still have a competitive advantage given the demand 76
for fresh product. This fishery will face pressure in the form of higher input prices as well as habitat loss. One could conclude that even if there is a loss of jobs in the fishery sector that it could be made up in other sectors, assuming they grow, and that the impact would actually be greater. However, there might be value beyond the economic output of the fishing sector. Texas and the Coastal Bend have a rich commercial fishing history. There are many who value its presence beyond the product that it can provide. These values that are not as tangible can add to the impact that the industry has. For example, there are tourists who come on vacation and enjoy the experience of going to the docks to buy shrimp, fish, or oysters directly off the boat. If this experience is taken away, an important question is whether the tourist would continue to holiday in this region. 77
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Final Report to the Texas Coastal M
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5.2.2. Sources / Data .............
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Executive Summary The San Antonio B
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ecotourism included in the model. T
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1. Overview of San Antonio Bay Regi
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and shellfish species and estuarine
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According to the Rockport-Fulton Ch
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effect is limited by assimilative c
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freshwater inflow acts as a mechani
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sulfide. Heavy metals bounds to sed
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inflow levels and populations of se
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and could potentially make the cran
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3. Characterization of Ecotourism i
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Contributes actively to the conserv
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Figure 3-1. Public Protected Areas
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1987 and then purchased in 1991. Pr
Page 33 and 34: 3.3.2. The Economics of Multiple Na
Page 35 and 36: Table 3-2. Average Willingness to P
Page 37 and 38: Table 3-3. Personal Income and Prod
Page 39 and 40: impact. It is necessary to conduct
Page 41 and 42: 4.2. Key Site Details for the Analy
Page 43 and 44: approach allows examination of ques
Page 45 and 46: This average number of trips from t
Page 47 and 48: occasional flood and drought events
Page 49 and 50: The results of the regression yield
Page 51 and 52: gallons, which results in a value o
Page 53 and 54: Aransas distinguishes itself from C
Page 55 and 56: thresholds vary according the size
Page 57 and 58: The total number of full-time and p
Page 59 and 60: The County also shows a lower educa
Page 61 and 62: Refugio shows a rapid decrease in t
Page 63 and 64: IM t+ n ic = E t ic ⎡⎛ E × ⎢
Page 65 and 66: included an economic analysis of th
Page 67 and 68: Table 5-5. Employment Shift-Share A
Page 69 and 70: Fishing and related activities. The
Page 71 and 72: Figure 5-15. Employment change by s
Page 73 and 74: 5.3.2. Input-Output Analysis The in
Page 75 and 76: Calhoun Calhoun County’s experien
Page 77 and 78: an advantage, particularly in oyste
Page 79 and 80: Impacts on the Freshwater Inflows t
Page 81 and 82: However, due to the lack of consist
Page 83: This implicitly assumes that flows
Page 87 and 88: Elliot, D. (2007). Competitive Adva
Page 89 and 90: Pearce, D. W. (1994). The MIT Dicti
Page 91 and 92: The Nature Conservancy. (2002). "Na
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The Economic Value of Water and Ecosystem Preservation

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