Division of Research and Economic Development FY 17 Q2 Research News FY 17 Q 2 newsletter | Page 10

P.E.A.R.L
Patuxent Estuarine Aquatic Research Laboratory
About the PEARL
Morgan PEARL: Examining the
ecosystem services and economic benefits of
oyster reef restoration in the
Chesapeake Bay
Founded in 1967 by The Academy of Natural
Sciences and acquired by Morgan State in 2004, the
mission of the Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic
Research Laboratory (PEARL) is to provide society
By: Scott Knoche
with the knowledge to solve its environmental
challenges through research, education and economic
Native oysters are a keystone
development. The research programs at PEARL
species in the Chesapeake Bay,
continue to provide essential data and innovative
providing a variety of ecosystem
techniques for assessing the health of the Chesapeake
services such as improved water
Bay. Our work to restore the oyster industry has
quality
and
habitat
for
become a model for transforming the way we think of
commercially and recreationally
oyster restoration. We have used this research to
valuable fish and crab species.
provide students with interdisciplinary training and
Unfortunately,
due
to
experience and to expose and educate the public overharvesting, disease, and pollution, native oyster populations in
about the
the Chesapeake Bay are less than 1% of historic levels. In an effort
environment.
to increase oyster populations and associated ecosystem services,
large-scale oyster restoration projects have been implemented in the
Bay.
These restoration projects, while offering tremendous
potential to help reach Chesapeake Bay restoration objectives, also
come with considerable expense.
To examine the ecosystem services and economic benefits associated with costly oyster reef restoration projects, Dr. Scott
Knoche, Senior Research Economist at Morgan’s PEARL, has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation. A portion of these funds have been used to hire Dr. Thomas Ihde, an expert ecological modeler who will
estimate the increase in commercially and recreationally valuable fish and crab species as a result of oyster reef restoration.
Additional project collaborations include an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and the University of Maryland. Though the project
very recently began in December 2016, the research team has already met
multiple times and is making significant progress on developing the ecological
model that is the first stage of this project. Ultimately, this project will provide
critical information regarding the benefits of restoration actions in the
Chesapeake Bay, and provide a template to guide future restoration efforts in the
U.S. and beyond.
Dr. Scott Knoche
is a Senior Research Economist at PEARL with research interests in the
area of environmental and natural resource economics. Scott received his PhD from Michigan
State University, with his dissertation estimating economic values associated with outdoor
recreation. Prior to receiving his PhD, Scott worked as an economist at the U.S. Coast Guard's
National Pollution Funds Center, evaluating and adjudicating trustee compensation claims from
oil spill - related natural resource damages. After his PhD and before employment at Morgan,
Scott worked as a post-doctoral fisheries economist joint with the University of Maryland's
Agricultural and Resource Economics Department and the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources Fisheries Division.
RESEARCH AND OUTREACH INTERESTS
• Non-Market Valuation
• Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Management
• Stated Preference Survey Methods
• Survey Development and Methodology
• Discrete Choice Analysis
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