Essays on Consumer Demand for Recreational Activitie

The first essay presents research on paddlefish anglers' preferences for catch-and-release regulations in Oklahoma. Stated preference (SP) data from a choice experiment is used to identify the effect of a hypothetical catch-and-release regulation on location preferences. Actual (non-hypothetical) choice data is used to measure the desirability of paddlefish fishing locations in Oklahoma. We used these data to develop a behavioral model and predict the effects of catch-and-release on location choice and participation in the fishery. Our results indicate that most anglers directly affected by catch-and-release regulations will either continue fishing at their preferred site or switch to a site where harvesting is permitted; we predict slightly more than half of anglers will continue to participate in the fishery even if catch-and-release is applied statewide.;The second essay develops a site choice model to examine the risk preferences of recreational anglers, who may prefer sites with high catch rates but do not have perfect foresight about catch rates at any particular site. Risk preferences are important in recreation demand when decision makers are unsure about the levels of site attributes. We allow for individual heterogeneity in risk preferences by estimating the model as a random parameters logit. We present two applications of the model using data on fishing trips in Oklahoma. Our results indicate that recreational anglers are generally risk averse, although some fisheries may have a modest share of anglers who are risk seeking.;The third essay examines the impact of perceptions of extreme weather events on outdoor recreation demand. Perceptions about weather condition are important determinants for outdoor recreation decisions because individual considers for both actual knowledge of weather conditions and perceived levels of weather conditions when recreation decisions are made. This paper uses an instrument variable strategy to control for endogeneity in individuals' perceived number of extreme weather events to explain outdoor recreation demand. Our results show that perceptions about extreme weather events have significant and negative impact on outdoor recreation demand.