Natural Resources

ISER researcher Dr. Tobias Schwoerer and UAA Engineering Computer Science Professor Dr. Frank Witmer are working with UAA Honors student Devin Boyle to get a better understanding of how Elodea, an invasive freshwater plant in Alaska, is being spread across Alaska by float planes. Funded with an Honors College grant and support from Rust’s Flying Service, the project involves investigating the feasibility of using images captured by cameras installed on float planes as part of a “big data” citizen science project.

Jennifer I. Schmidt, ISER researcher and Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Management, is co-author of an article that explores the importance and development of relationships with local, often Indigeneous populations, to manage resources in remote Arctic locations. "The Role of Trust in Sustainable Management of Land, Fish, and Wildlife Populations in the Arctic" appears in the Sustainable and Rural Development section of the September issue of Sustainability, an international, cross-disciplinary journal.

Matt Reimer is the lead author of the Outstanding Article Award in Marine Resource Economics for 2017.

Check out the article "Fisheries Production: Management Institutions, Spatial Choice, and the Quest for Policy Invariance."

Alaska has hundreds of commercial fisheries, and fishery managers issue unique permits for each fishery. But in a new blog post, Matt Reimer, an ISER economist, and his co-authors report that many of those who fish in Alaska waters have multiple permits, allowing them to take catches in different fisheries. That means if managers change a policy for one fishery—for instance, reducing the catch limit—permit holders could react by changing where they fish, going after different species, or using different gear.

So how can managers assess whether a policy change in one commercial fishery might have such unintended consequences in others? Matt Reimer and his co-authors argue that having statistical data on cross-fishery networks among permit holders—and analyzing those data—could help managers better understand the potential spillover effects of changing policies for a given fishery. The authors also created an interactive map, showing existing cross-fishery networks. Check out the blog.

If you have questions, get in touch with Matt Reimer at: mreimer2@alaska.edu or 907-786-5430.

Around the world, there is growing interest in decentralized sources of energy production and distribution. Costs of solar, wind, and energy-efficiency technologies have also been dropping, making them attractive alternatives to fossil fuels. But those changes disrupt the business model of utilities and present unique challenges and opportunities.

Martin Boucher, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan, will talk about his research on socio-technical energy transitions and discuss his preliminary thoughts about his work-in-progress, comparing transitions in three Northern cities: Saskatoon in Canada, Lulea in Sweden, and Anchorage.

When: Tuesday, May 22, 12 to 1

The problem of invasive species is still in the early stages in Alaska, but a number of them are here. They can crowd out local species and damage ecosystems—and also create economic costs. In a talk at the Anchorage Museum that’s free and open to the public, Tobias Schwörer, a senior research professional at ISER, will help Alaskans understand the risks invasive species pose.

He'll talk about his recent research linking biology and economics to analyze the potential harm that elodea, Alaska's first aquatic invasive plant, creates for Alaska’s environment and economy. The talk is sponsored by the Committee for Noxious and Invasive Pests Management and UAF's Cooperative Extension Service. Come to the museum and learn about elodea and the risks it brings to Alaska.

When: Monday, October 23, 7 p.m.
Where: Anchorage Museum, 625 C Street

Surveys often ask people to assign a value to some specific thing, by estimating how much they’d be willing to pay for it. But there can be a difference between what people say they would pay, and what they would pay, if they actually had to buy something. Economists call this “hypothetical bias,” and they try various ways to overcome it. One way is telling respondents their answers are consequential—that is, their answers can potentially influence actions of agencies or organizations.

Qiujie “Angie” Zheng, an associate professor of economics at UAA, incorporated this notion of consequentiality in a choice experiment in 2015. She worked with colleagues in other U.S. and Chinese universities to survey more than 1,000 shoppers at supermarkets in three Chinese cities, to assess their willingness to pay for Alaska salmon. Currently, little Alaska salmon is available in China.

Join us at ISER to hear what Dr. Zheng learned about Chinese consumers' perceptions about Alaska salmon, and how they value specific characteristics of that salmon.

When: Friday, September 22, 12 to 1
Where: ISER Conference Room, Third Floor, 1901 Bragaw Street, Suite 301

Note: This talk will not be streamed or recorded.

Sponsored by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, ISER, and The Nature Conservancy

The Municipality of Anchorage asked UAF's Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) to develop a climate action plan and an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions for Anchorage. Those documents will be included in a broad resilience initiative the city is currently working on. ACEP—in partnership with ISER and The Nature Conservancy—hired Jacob Shercliffe as a summer intern, to draft the two documents.

Jacob Shercliffe is an economics student at UAA. The staffs of ACEP, ISER, and The Nature Conservancy advised him as he drafted the action plan and the emissions inventory. Now he is ready to deliver the draft documents to the city, which will release them for public comment in October. In his lunchtime talk, Jacob will describe how he created the two documents and the progress he made. He'll also talk about how Anchorage residents can get involved in determining how the city deals with climate change.

When: Friday, August 18, 12 to 1 p.m.
Where: ISER Conference Room, Third Floor, 1901 Bragaw Street, Suite 301

Note: This talk will not be live streamed or recorded.

Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson and Hordur Saevaldsson are both assistant professors in the School of Business and Science at the University of Akureyri in Iceland. At ISER, they each talk about aspects of Iceland’s fisheries, which have for centuries been the main pillar of the Icelandic economy.

Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson gives an overview of the current status of the stocks around Iceland and speculate on the main drivers of change in those stocks. He also describes the tools used to manage the fisheries, so as to minimize discards and protect juvenile fish. Hörður Sævaldsson describes the history of fisheries management in Iceland, including precursors of the current system and today's ITQ (individual transferable quota) system—as well as the effects of consolidation and changes within the system.