Year: 2019
Project(s):
Relevance
A Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium-supported (MASGC) marine economist received several inquiries and requests for assistance in estimating the economic impacts of the prolonged and twice opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway in 2019 on the commercial fishing industry in the Northern Gulf of Mexico states.
Response
The marine economist estimated the potential economic impacts of the Bonnet Carré spillway opening to the 2019 commercial landings and dockside values of major seafood species harvested by commercial fishermen in the region. The results were posted to blogs, social media networks and university websites and emailed to key industry and state regulatory agencies and media contacts.
Results
These estimates were used to justify the request for federal fisheries disaster declaration and authorization by the U.S. Congress to allocate federal assistance to the negatively impacted coastal communities.
Recap
A Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant-supported marine economist developed economic recovery models for dominant seafood species harvested in the region, which were used to estimate the potential economic impacts of the twice opening of the Bonnet Carré spillway in 2019 on the commercial fishing industry. (2019)