The Issue

Threatens Jobs

California is world-renowned for its sportfishing and whale watching excursions, drawing millions of visitors to coastal communities each year. The State’s 2.6 million anglers generate over $5.6 billion annually in economic activity and support nearly 40,000 jobs, and Californians spend nearly $1 billion annually to access the State’s nearly 200 commercially inspected sportfishing and whale watching boats. Almost 10% of California’s marine anglers are out-of-state residents, an additional source of visitor spending for coastal communities.

Economic analysis developed by Southwick and Associates (PDF) reveals that as regulatory costs increase passenger ticket prices, ridership will decline and so will economic activity for communities economically dependent on hospitality and tourism-related jobs.