The External Effect Created by the Traditional Fishery and its Evaluation

A Case Study on the Cormorant Fishing of Nagara-river, Gifu

Abstract

This paper aimed at arguing about the public financial support for a traditional fishing and the tourist industry which utilized it. We investigated about the Cormorant Fishing in Nagara-river, Gifu.

First, we clarified about the present condition of the Cormorant Fishing and Gifu City Cormorant Fishing Viewing Boat enterprise (GCF). Since the Cormorant Fishing cannot become independent, it is utilized as tourist attractions. On the other hand, Cormorant Fishing offers various external effects. In this paper, we pointed out that political decision-making of the public financial support should have been performed in consideration of the external effect, and measured the recreation-effect. We evaluated a part of the external effect with which the Cormorant Fishing provides visitors using Travel Cost Method (TCM).

As results of analyses, it became clear that its benefit is about only 10% of additional public financial support. However, Cormorant Fishing has existence value and bequest value of a national level while producing the economic effect to this area. It is necessary to judge about the right or wrong of public financial support based on evaluation of these effects.