Analysis of the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Gulf of Mexico Seafood Industry.

摘要

This study gathered various economic data to determine the structure of the seafood industry in the Gulf of Mexico, factors that affect the industry, and to estimate the economic impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill on the seafood industry. The research focuses on the structure of the seafood industry’s supply chain, and how that structure may have changed as a result of the spill. The research in this study consists of two key components: a comprehensive examination of the factors that have affected the gross revenues of domestic commercial fishermen operating in the Gulf during and after the oil spill, and an economic impact model for the seafood supply chain in the five Gulf States (Alabama, West Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas). The study begins with a descriptive analysis of how the oil spill may have affected the seafood industry in the Gulf in both the short and long term. The geographic distributions of impacts are discussed in order to improve understanding of differences in economic effects across fisheries, states, and associated coastal communities. Potential longer-term effects of the oil spill on the Gulf ecosystem are reviewed at a more aggregate level, as are potential implications on the ecosystem at a fishery level. Concerns with seafood safety and implications for consumer perception and demand of seafood from the Gulf that have been raised in the literature are summarized. Initial adjustments in markets due to product shortages and food safety concerns are also summarized, and challenges faced by Gulf seafood producers trying to regain market share from import products and non-Gulf domestic producers are discussed. The temporary fisheries closures implemented by the federal government due to safety concerns are summarized spatially and temporally to allow direct comparison to changes in harvest patterns. Changes in the overall U.S. economy during the pre- and post-spill period are also noted and discussed, including the likelihood of positive exogenous effects on seafood demand during the damage period. This section of this report concludes with a summary of how these impacts were or were not able to be factored into the subsequent economic impact model developed for this study.