Georgia’s Coastal Economy

Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant is documenting the value of coastal and marine industries and activities to the coastal economy.

Coastal Economics Program

The goals of the coastal economics program are to examine how coastal activities impact the economy and provide technical economic support to coastal industry stakeholders and the public.

Contact: Eugene Frimpong,
Coastal Economics Specialist
Phone: 912-262-2379
Email: eugene.frimpong@uga.edu

Georgia’s coastal economy is made up of the various business sectors that either directly depend on coastal resources, such as fisheries and aquaculture industries, or sectors that provide goods and services for coastal and ocean-based activities, such as coastal tourism and shipping. The health of Georgia’s natural coastal resources is important for growing our economy in a sustainable way.

The coastal economics program is designed to conduct applied research, track and interpret coastal economic data and information, and make the information understandable and usable to the public and decision-makers.

Current Projects

Assessing the Economic Importance of For-Hire and Recreational Fishing in Georgia

In 2021, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant received funding from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division to assess the economic contributions of for-hire (or charter) fishing as well as saltwater recreational fishing to Georgia’s coastal economy.

For the for-hire fishing study, a survey was disseminated to charter captains and businesses to collect sales and expenditure data. Results of the survey show that roughly 184 licensed for-hire fishing captains in Georgia provided fishing guide services to nearly 53,000 anglers in 2021.

To determine the economic contributions of saltwater recreational fishing in Georgia, a survey was disseminated to anglers to collect saltwater fishing-related expenditure data as well as demographic and geographic data. In 2022, saltwater recreational fishing activities contributed 310.6 million to Georgia’s economy. These activities include purchasing fishing tackle, such as fishing rods, lines, and lures, while also incurring additional expenses related to transportation and food.

Estimating the Economic Benefit and Impact of Artificial Reefs in Georgia

Georgia’s artificial reef program has been in existence for half a century, yet there is no detailed economic assessment of the program. Artificial reefs support Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), marine ecosystems, fisheries, recreational opportunities and the development of local economies. With funding from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resource Division, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant began studying the economic importance of Georgia’s artificial reef program in 2023.

Specific objectives of the study include:

Provide socio-demographic information on artificial reef users and their perceptions of artificial reefs.
Design a choice experiment survey to assess marine users’ preferences for Georgia’s artificial reef ecosystem enhancement programs.
Quantify the economic value of artificial reefs using stated preference (choice experiment) and revealed preference (travel cost) information.
Estimate the economic impact of angler trip and reef construction expenditures.
Perform a benefit-cost analysis of artificial reef programs.

Develop educational and outreach materials that communicate findings.

Results from the study will be published in 2024. Findings will provide insight into the attributes of the artificial reef program that are most attractive to marine resource users and guide resource managers when deploying artificial reefs.

Determining the economic value of nongame coastal wildlife recreation

Wildlife viewing in coastal Georgia has become increasingly popular among visitors and locals. Georgia’s 11 coastal counties are home to marine and terrestrial wildlife such as birds, turtles, alligators and dolphins. Wildlife viewing allows people to connect with nature, learn about the environment, and appreciate the beauty and diversity of coastal wildlife. Thus, people are willing to spend money to visit recreational sites that allow for wildlife viewing. The satisfaction visitors derive from these visits can be capitalized to inform policy; however, there is a lack of research that would put a dollar value on coastal wildlife recreation in Georgia. Having this information could inform policies related to project evaluation, habitat conservation and management, and damage assessment.

In 2023, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant began working to fill this gap through a project funded by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division that will document the economic value and impacts of nongame coastal wildlife in Georgia and provide a framework to understand the tradeoffs involved in prioritizing nongame coastal wildlife conservation investments over development and inform tourism operators of the role wildlife has in their business models.

Specific objectives of the study include:

Construct recreational demand models to assess the value of nongame coastal wildlife recreation.
Construct economic impact models to estimate economic impact of nongame coastal wildlife recreation.
Develop educational and outreach materials to communicate findings.

A survey was disseminated to stakeholders in 2023 to collect data on wildlife viewing behaviors and attitudes as well as expenditure data. A report will be published in 2024 detailing the survey’s findings. It will be used to inform coastal habitat conservation policies.