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Contrasting Views of Coastal Residents and Coastal Coho Restoration Planners
Author(s) -
Smith Courtland L.,
Gilden Jennifer D.,
Cone Joseph S.,
Steel Brent S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
fisheries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1548-8446
pISSN - 0363-2415
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8446(1997)022<0008:cvocra>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - endangered species , fishery , geography , residence , governor , agency (philosophy) , government (linguistics) , socioeconomics , environmental resource management , environmental protection , ecology , habitat , environmental science , biology , sociology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , physics , demography , thermodynamics
Concern about declining Oregon coastal salmon runs ( Oncorhynchus spp.) led to petitions to list them under the Endangered Species Act. In response, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber advanced a voluntary restoration plan rather than a regulatory approach with federal requirements. The National Marine Fisheries Service accepted the governor's approach. We surveyed 505 Oregon coastal residents and found solid support for a voluntary, nonfederal approach. Coastal residents expressed general support for salmon and environmental restoration, as did respondents to other recent surveys in the Pacific Northwest. However, the views of coastal residents differed from those of many agency people regarding the impact of marine mammals, use of hatcheries, and importance of naturally spawning salmon stocks. Residents also showed a willingness to pay and volunteer for salmon restoration that is comparable to responses for other surveys done in the region during the 1990s. The survey found coastal residents were very skeptical of government and scientists; instead, they relied on word of mouth, TV, and radio for most of their information. Values regarding environmental and economic priorities better explain differences among respondents than demographic variables such as age, gender, residence, education, and income.