Economic Benefits of Fishery Improvements Associated with Lake Destratification

Lake destratification was conducted from 1987 to 1989 at Beech Fork Lake, a 720-acre lake in West Virginia, to improve the fishery habitat. Improvements in the habitat was associated with increases in standing crop, harvest, catch, and recreational use. The economic benefits of the improvements were evaluated and compared to the cost of the destratification program. On an annual basis, the fishery benefits ranged from $5,676 for the harvest valuation method, to $30,000 for the catch valuation method, $100,282 for the fishermen use valuation method, and $726,660 for the standing crop valuation method. The benefit crop ratio ranged from 1 to 127 times the annual cost depending on the evaluation technique.