Assessing the benefits of dismantling hydroelectric dams: the case of salmon fishing on the Sélune River

Abstract

This work shows the valuation of salmon angling recreational benefits expected from the dam removal on the Sélune river. We propose a methodology based on the notion of "direct benefit transfer". The fishing effort variation is estimated through statistical models and overall benefits are aggregated using transferred unit values for recreational benefits. Our results show that the surplus gain might be close to 400 000€ per year for our most conservative hypothesis. This gain is of 840 000€ if the Sélune river is valued as a river from the west of the USA.