摘要
Fish stocking is commonly used to enhance, create and maintain recreational fisheries that typically generate significant economic activity. As fish stocking can be highly popular with stakeholders and is often a large economic investment, it should be evaluated to ensure it provides adequate return and is an effective use of fisheries management funds. In this study we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a fish stocking program for non-native salmonid species of brown trout, rainbow trout and Chinook salmon at Lake Purrumbete, south-western Victoria, Australia. As Lake Purrumbete has no natural recruitment of these stocked species, it is described as a culture-based or put-grow-and-take recreational fishery. The average annual cost of the stocking program between 2007 and 2014 was estimated at $86,646 (2014 $AUD) per year including aquaculture production and transport of fish to release. A stratified random angler creel survey between December 2013 and 2014 was used to estimate visitation to the stocked fishery at 5447 fishing days, with average observed angler expenditure of $72 per person per day and the percentage of anglers satisfied with their fishing experience at 76%. The observed economic expenditure (market value) associated with the stocking program was estimated to be $351,741 with a 1:4 cost-benefit ratio return on stocking investment. The additional willingness to pay, or non-market recreational value of the stocked fishery, was estimated using the travel cost method to be an additional $84 − $291 per person per day with a 1:5 to 1:16 cost-benefit ratio return on stocking investment. This study demonstrates that fish stocking can provide a substantial return on investment, yielding significant economic and social benefits, and we recommend evaluations be conducted independently for stocking programs to assist in the responsible management of resources, maximise our understanding and subsequent benefits.