Abstract:
Emergy (spelled with an "m") and its economic equivalent emdollars evaluate the work done by the environment
and by the human economy on a common basis. Making choices that maximize emdollar contributions of environment and
economy is a useful public policy.. Emergy-emdollar evaluation of salmon pen culture is presented in this paper as an
example of the calculations and interpretation. The procedure evaluated the estuarine contribution as well as those made by
the pen operators. Like other environmental products, salmon contribute more emdollars to the economy than are
recognized with market values. The buyer receives 2 times more emdollars than is paid in dollars. After the salmon are
processed and used by the consumers, more emergy values are added directly and indirectly from the fuels and other
resources operating the rest of the economy. In the United States, 7 emdollars from the outside economy are attracted to
each emdollar of local environmental product. The solar transformity of salmon = emergy/energy = 1.7 x 107 solar
emjoules/joule, a high value compared to most fish. A similar value was obtained from evaluating the natural salmon life
cycle in the Umpqua R
