Optimal Management of a Potential Invader: The Case of Zebra Mussels in Florida

Dominant users of Lake Okeechobee water resources are agricultural producers and recreational anglers. These uses will be directly affected, should the lake become infested with zebra mussels. We employ a probabilistic bioeconomic simulation model to estimate the potential impact of zebra mussels on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of Agricultural and Applied Economics Vol. 39
Main Authors Rossi, Frederick J, Lee, Donna J, Adams, Damian C
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2007
SeriesJournal of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Subjects
C63
cost transfer
fishing
invasive species
probability transition matrix
Q25
Q52
Q57
Q58
surface water
wetlands
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Summary:Dominant users of Lake Okeechobee water resources are agricultural producers and recreational anglers. These uses will be directly affected, should the lake become infested with zebra mussels. We employ a probabilistic bioeconomic simulation model to estimate the potential impact of zebra mussels on consumptive water uses, recreational angling, and wetland ecosystem services under alternative public management scenarios. Without public management, the expected net economic impact from zebra mussels is - $244.1 million over 20 years. Public investment in prevention and eradication will yield a net expected gain of +$188.7 million, a superior strategy to either prevention or eradication alone.