This study examines the economic impacts of thePapahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) expansion on the Hawaii longline fishery, using difference-in-differences (DID) models with fixedeffects. Vessels are categorized into three groups (higher effort group, lowereffort group, and no effort group) based on their fishing effort inside theMonument Expanded Area (MEA) prior to the expansion in August 2016. The DID models evaluate the impacts of the PMNM expansion on catch per unit effort (CPUE) and fishing revenue for the higher effort group, taking intoaccount the differences in vessel characteristics, annual and seasonaleffects, gear usage, spatial and temporal variations in effort and fish abundance, effects of other coexisting management policies, and other trip specific factors. The results show that the PMNM expansion caused the CPUE of higher effort group to decrease by 7%. Revenue per trip decreased by 9%, $3.39 million, during the first 16 months of the post-expansion period. One likely reason for the negative impacts is that longline fishers who used to fish inside the MEA have been displaced from their traditional fishing grounds and are still in the process of becoming more efficient in finding areas with comparable productivity. An alternative reason for the negative impacts is that the area within the MEA is particularly productive. This study evaluates both possibilities.

Environmental flows can be an important tool for managing native and nonnative species in aquatic ecosystems. However, deviations from historic flow regimes can incur significant economic costs associated with reallocating water resources across multiple uses. In the Colorado River, there is a nonnative rainbow trout sport fishery below the Glen Canyon Dam. Downriver dispersal of rainbow trout into the Grand Canyon National Park has negative impacts on the recovery of the endangered humpback chub population. As a result, rainbow trout populations are intensively managed, with control strategies including: a) mechanical removal of rainbow trout to reduce adult abundance, and b) hydrological flow experiments from the Glen Canyon Dam to reduce rainbow trout recruitment. We use recent advances in viability theory to develop a bioeconomic model for identifying optimal control strategies for rainbow trout conditional on achieving probabilistic abundance goals for the endangered humpback chub adult population. Preliminary results indicate that the foregone economic value of hydropower during environmental flows is an important criterion for identifying the most cost-effective control strategy. Consequently, optimal control strategies are highly dependent on the hourly price of energy as determined by fuel prices and other regional power system dynamics. Our model, which incorporates population dynamics and economic costs in a multi-objective decision framework, provides a useful approach to identify efficient management of aquatic species through environmental flows.

Ecosystem characterization and evidence-based decision making are crucial to the effective management and preservation of marine ecosystems in Canadas busiest and most industrial ports. The collection of comprehensive baseline data, will provide a snapshot in time, and allow for changes in the environment to be better detected over time. Over the next 4 years, the Coastal Environmental Baseline program, an initiative under Canadas Ocean Protection Plan, will be piloted in 6 sites across Canada - the Port of Saint John being one of the pilots. The Port of Saint John is located in the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tidal ranges in the world, and is home to industries such as fisheries, aquaculture, oil and gas, mining and ecotourism. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is working with local Indigenous and stakeholder groups to collaboratively identify key ecosystem components and study site boundaries; compile current and historical environmental datasets to identify outstanding data needs; prioritize, plan and carry out data collection; as well as data management and visualization. The data sets will be available to participating groups as well as Fisheries and Oceans Canada and other federal departments to inform management decisions in areas such as fisheries management and protection, species at risk and aquatic invasive species and Transport Canadas Cumulative Effects of Shipping program etc. This program sets out to strengthen relationships with local indigenous and stakeholder groups by helping to increase local capacity to collect ecological, social and culturally important ecosystem indicators to better reflect their needs in decision making and to allow for changes in the environment to be better detected over time.