Oregon Inlet Impact Study Shows Value of NC Boating Industry

A 211-page [Internet] document entitled, "A Study of the Benefits of Oregon Inlet to the Economy of Dare County and the Surrounding Region," was prepared by Moffat & Nichol for the Dare County Inlet and Waterways Commission. It reviews all aspects of the revenue stream associated with the inlet, including the commercial fishing, boat building, recreational fishing, sport fishing and tourism industries. The objective of the report was to examine the benefits of keeping the inlet navigable to the region. See the Dare County marine summary http://www.ncleg.net/etc/JLTOCFinalReport.pdf.

A July 23, 2006 article summarizing this report by Charley Bunyea of the Outer Banks Sentinel, http://www.obsentinel.com, provides the following selected information on the economic findings of the study:

Dare County has the highest concentration of boat builders in the world, and it is known for its unique "Carolina Style" boats. There are 16 boat building companies in Dare County that build an average of 25 boats a year. At any given time, there is an average of 500-600 employees working on 30 boats throughout the county. Assuming an average sale price of $3 million, the industry experiences $75 million a year in boat building sales. The entire boat building industry, including support services, has an annual economic benefit of 1,235 jobs and $139.8 million in revenue to Dare County and the surrounding region.

There are 14 known fishing tournaments in Dare County with more than 500 boats participating annually. The recreational fishing and tourism industry experiences a total economic benefit of 8,288 jobs and $502.3 million in revenue to Dare County and the surrounding region.

When the sectors [fishing, boating industry, tourism, boating, etc.] are combined, Oregon Inlet is directly associated with providing 9,851 jobs and $682.7 million in revenue to Dare County and the surrounding region.
The full article can be found on the North Carolina Waterman's site: http://www.ncwaterman.com/article.asp?id=1777.

 

Back to Marine TradeWinds Newsletter Home