“Public perceptions of pink salmon in Norway and willingness to pay for the current eradication management program”

Abstract

Abstract Since 2017, Norway has experienced a large influx of Pacific pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbusha), and this species occurrence has created challenges for society, businesses, the environment, and policymakers. However, there is currently no consensus on whether pink salmon is a new resource or a pest in Norway. While some people perceive pink salmon as a food resource and a good recreational fishing species, others consider that pink salmon as a threat to local salmonids and ecosystems. Therefore, to deal with the pink salmon problem the Norwegian authority has implemented a management measure to eradicate pink salmon from Norwegian rivers. This study investigated the acceptance of Norwegian recreational anglers of the current eradication programme on pink salmon invasion. It also explored the perception of Norwegian anglers to the arrival of pink salmon and its associated effects. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and conducted to collect data among Norwegian anglers. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was employed, and the Tobit model was fitted to evaluate the respondents' willingness to pay (WTP) for the eradication measure. The results (n=267) demonstrated that half of the respondents advocated the eradication programme and their mean WTP is about NOK 607. However, 67% of respondents were unwilling to pay to contribute to this management program because most anglers indicated that the government should bear complete financial responsibility for the management initiatives related to environmental resources. The factors that significantly influenced the respondents' WTP were anglers' fishing experience, their attitudes towards pink salmon management regimes, the co-management approach, and respondents' perception of pink salmon as a new resource or a pest. Socioeconomic characteristics such as age, education, income, and membership in professional organizations do not statistically significantly influence the WTP. This study provides the first research insights into the perspectives of anglers and the general public on pink salmon and the current eradication program. Results can assist policymakers in mitigating the stakeholders' conflicts by designing effective and efficient management measures to governing pink salmon arrival in Norway.

Keywords: pink salmon invasion, contingent valuation, willingness-to-pay, recreational fisheries, anglers, perception, eradication management, Norway.