Abstract:
The Venice lagoon is the largest one in the Mediterranean sea (550 km2). It is a relevant site for both professional
fishing and recreation (fishing and boating). The paper estimates the recreational and sport-fishing demand using the
contingent valuation method. A stratified sample-based survey has been made in order to a) quantify and describe the
visitors, b) estimate the demand function of homogeneous recreational users’ subgroups, c) estimate the total annual
recreational use value of the lagoon, d) simulate potential financing by users aimed to improve conservation management.
Main results are: a) the survey has shown that around 13,000 users per year can be estimated (71% boating, and 29%
fishing); the average number of annual visits per user is 5.4, b) the demand functions resulting from contingent valuation
have been estimated, c) the total recreational surplus differs significantly both between fishing and boating users, and
between users living in Venice (25%) and in the mainland (75%), d) the simulations of management policies financing
conservation measures have been evaluated from the viewpoint of the users’ welfare. Different users’ charges have been
considered. For example, a ¼ DQQXDO HQWUDQFH IHH FRXOG EH FKDUJHG RQ PDLQODQG UHFUHDWLRQDO XVHUV ZLWKRXW UHGXFLQJ WKH
total visitors’ number. However, management policies have to take into account redistributional effects and access rights of
residents in Venice.
