Digital Commons@Center for the Blue Economy
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Assessing the Recreational Charter Fishing Market in Florida: A Hedonic Price Analysis
Full text linkIn this study we analyze the effect of a wide range of factors on the variation of recreational fishing trip prices in Florida. We collected extensive data from recreational fishing websites maintained by guides and outfitters and used different empirical methods for quantifying the relationship between trip price and various trip characteristics. The Hedonic Price model was used to estimate the implicit prices of freshwater and saltwater fishing trip characteristics. The results suggest that freshwater and saltwater anglers significantly value the lodging feature included in the fishing trip package. Moreover, saltwater anglers had a higher willingness to pay to catch specific fish species (e.g., peacock, tarpons, and dolphins). The analysis of implicit prices of fish species can provide a mechanism to fishing and wildlife management agencies to monitor and detect any significant changes in fishing activities. The findings from this study can be useful to policymakers in ensuring that policies and priorities align with anglers\u27 preferences and with the long-term sustainability of these unique natural resources
Charleston, SC Branch Pilots Association and NOAA PORTS
Full text linkSources and type of data and information used
The Charleston, SC Branch Pilots Association (end user 1) make “go-no-go” decisions based on data from the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON), Official NOAA Tide Predictions and Physical Oceanographic Real Time System (PORTS) sensors for tall, deep draft vessels transiting through Charleston Harbor and into the associated tributaries.
Specific datasets for this use case include:
Charleston, SC NOAA NWLON station (8665530)
NOAA PORTS Ravenel Bridge Air Gap, SC (8665353)
NOAA PORTS Don Holt Bridge Air Gap, SC (8664753)
Army Depot, SC NOAA Tide Prediction location (8664662)
Data can be accessed in a variety of ways: graphic, text, Data APIs.
The NWLON and PORTS are sponsored by CO-OPS which is the source for accurate, reliable, and timely tides, water levels, currents, and other oceanographic data. The vision of CO-OPS is to support the Nation\u27s economy and safeguard coastal communities with oceanographic information accessible by anyone, at any time, from any place.
Transformation into an actionable information service
Below is the air draft table to clear the Don Holt Bridge at North Charleston, SC. This table was calculated to allow for two feet of clearance above the mast of any ship on maximum predicted tides for the year. At that time, the maximum predicted low tide was +1.2 ft. above MLLW, and the maximum predicted high tide was +7.2 ft. above MLLW. Clearance tables assumed every low tide was a +1.2’ and every high tide was a +7.2’, to make sure our clearance table worked every day, including on those particular days that those were the actual predicted tide levels.
With the rise in sea level, predicted and actual tides exceed those levels fairly often. Rather than rewrite the clearance table, dispatchers check the Charleston NWLON Tide Gauge daily to see if the most recent low tide exceeded +1.2\u27 or the most recent high tide exceeded +7.2’. When either of those occurs, they “add a foot” to the reported air draft from the ship, and then apply the table to the corrected air draft.
Pilot dispatchers work with the individual pilots and shipping agents (end user 2) to communicate the information and make any necessary changes to ship transit times. Real time NOAA Air Gap data at the Ravenel and Don Holt Bridges are used to validate available clearances at fixed points on the bridge for vessels transiting underneath one or both bridges. The Don Holt Bridge at North Charleston has a smaller available clearance and is more often a cause for concern tied to available air draft
Deep Dive into Pakistan\u27s Ocean Economy: An Evaluation of Performance and Constraints
Full text linkPakistan, a coastal country with a 1,050 km coastline and an Exclusive Economic Zone, relies on the ocean economy for approximately 0.4% of its national GDP. The ocean economy of Pakistan comprises various sectors, including fisheries, maritime transportation, offshore oil and gas exploration, tourism, and marine biotechnology. Over the years, Pakistan has made progress in these sectors, with notable growth in fish exports and the development of deep-sea ports. However, several challenges are hindering the full realization of the ocean\u27s economic potential. These challenges include inadequate infrastructure, outdated regulations, unsustainable fishing practices, pollution, and geopolitical tensions affecting maritime trade. Despite the government\u27s declaration of the Year of Blue Economy in 2020, limited efforts have been made to develop this sector, apart from publishing a revised shipping policy. This study seeks to analyze the performance of Pakistan\u27s ocean economy and identify the obstacles it faces in transitioning to a sustainable blue economy. Comprehensive policy measures are necessary to address these challenges and leverage the country\u27s potential in the field of blue economy
Re-evaluating the Preferences of Recreational Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock Anglers
Full text linkSince 2013, fisheries managers have used a bioeconomic model to simulate the effect of proposed regulations on angler participation and subsequent fishing mortality for Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod and haddock using data from a choice experiment survey. In the year following the last choice experiment survey, however, Gulf of Maine cod fishery experienced unprecedented regulatory changes that, to this day, considerably limit recreational harvest. Given the potential influence of these regulatory changes on angler targeting behavior and preferences, we administered a new choice experiment survey in 2019. The new survey instrument and the sampling method were updated relative to the previous data collection effort to incorporate contemporary best-practice recommendations. In this paper, we estimate a panel mixed logit model using the new survey data to re-evaluate angler preferences for fishing trip attributes, results of which will parameterize the bioeconomic simulation model. We find that anglers value keeping cod more highly than keeping haddock, which is in contrast to the preference rankings elicited from the previously collected choice experiment data. These findings highlight the importance of collecting and analyzing updated data for policy analysis. We also test for attribute non-attendance, one type of behavioral anomaly that can occur in choice experiments and lead to biased preference parameter estimation. While many respondents indicated having not attended to one or more attributes, the econometric results suggest that some ignored attributes significantly affected choice behavior, which indicates a need to collect more informative non-attendance information in future data collection efforts
Ecosystem Service Valuation of Blue Carbon Habitats: A Review for Saltmarshes and Seagrasses
Full text linkOceans and coastal marine ecosystems, particularly vegetated coastal habitats such as mangroves, seagrass, and saltmarsh, play a significant role in the global carbon cycle as long-term carbon sinks. Ensuring that these habitats continue to function as sinks and do not become sources of emissions through habitat degradation is vital for climate and environmental policy goals. These blue carbon ecosystems also provide a number of other important ecosystem services to societies. Understanding the economic value of blue carbon ecosystems is necessary to make informed policy decisions that weigh the costs and benefits of ecosystem management plans. This paper reviews the current literature on ecosystem service valuation associated with two such blue carbon habitat types; saltmarshes and seagrasses. It examines the methods used and identifies remaining gaps in terms of important service benefit values that are underrepresented. The results indicate that saltmarsh and seagrass ecosystems provide a wealth of services that can be valued using established economic methods, but there remains a significant knowledge deficit in certain regions when it comes to the estimation of particular benefit values
Blue Economy Coastal Resources: Economic Valuation and Governance for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals
Full text linkThe research paper entitled Blue Economy Coastal Resources its Economic Valuation and Governance for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals is an attempt to define and analyze the concept of Blue Economy, Coastal Resources, its Economic Valuation and Governance and its implications for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) slated by United Nations. The research study covers aspects such as development of coastal resources for building a blue economy to achieve SDGs, economic valuation of coastal resources to develop appropriate and suitable mechanisms for achieving healthy ocean and its importance for current and future generations, sustainability of coastal resources and coastal management policies, coastal communities and sustainable blue economy among other aspects. The other aspects covered in the research paper include a detailed literature review on blue and coastal economy, research questions and concluding observations. The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) and the United Nations(UN) are the major multilateral organizations working for development of coastal resources and coastal communities. It is observed that economic valuation of coastal resources is required to assess and determine the development of the coastal communities and their governance for achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda
Marine Heat Waves
Full text linkMarine heatwave data sets are calculated by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information using Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (OISST) data. The NOAA 1/4° OISST is a long-term Climate Data Record that incorporates observations from different platforms (satellites, ships, buoys and Argo floats) into a regular global grid. The in situ component of this input is critical
A Review on Ship Recycling Industry in Bangladesh from Global Perspective
Full text linkAt present, the global center of the ship breaking and recycling industry is in South Asia, specifically Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. These three countries account for 70–80 percent of the international recycling market for ocean-going vessels, with China and Turkey covering most of the remaining market. Only about 5 percent of global volume is scrapped outside these five countries. Bangladesh has environmentally beneficial coastal region and affordable labor that make the shipbreaking and recycling business as a potential sector for the country. In addition, ship recycling and its related businesses are helping to solve our nation’s unemployment issues at all levels of the population. This study provides a statistical overview of ship recycling industries and the difficulties of this sector with feasible solutions. Firstly, this article tries to demonstrate the statistical analysis of Bangladesh\u27s ship recycling sector from a worldwide viewpoint as well as its contribution to the country\u27s economy. The graphical representation of the number of scrapped ships yearly and their GRT/LDT value shows a good comparison of the development of this industry in Bangladesh as well as other countries. Besides, the average number of breaking ships and their GRT /LDT values for a few years (2012-2021) also represents the growth of the ship breaking and recycling industry. The data in this study is based on public online journal articles, conference papers, reports from organizations (NGOs), reports from the steel and other industries, daily newspaper articles, etc. All of these data have been sorted according to country-wise, number of the scrapped ship, GRT value, etc., and represented by different graphical analyses. Despite the fact that this industry has helped the nation to gain a lot of reputation, it also has some challenges that need to be addressed immediately. The later part of this study discusses those challenges of these industries and finally, certain propositions have been proposed in order to overcome those challenges
Costs Associated with Voluntary Speed Reduction Requests In Central California Marine Sanctuaries To Protect Endangered Whales
Full text linkInternational trade is vital to the U.S. economy. As waterborne traffic accounts for about 40 percent of all international cargo value and 70 percent of international tonnage, regulatory changes involving waterborne transportation may significantly impact the United States (US) economy on both local and national levels. A Voluntary Speed Reduction (VSR) program reduces vessel speeds off the central coast of California for vessels 300 gross tons and larger from May 1st to November 15th to protect whales and other marine mammals. This study investigates the magnitude of changes in vessel costs associated with VSR requests.
This analysis contributes to the literature through more comprehensive estimation of the private and societal impacts that include vessel main propulsion fuel use, vessel auxiliary power fuel use, vessel capital cost, vessel administrative and overhead cost, container capital cost, inventory carrying cost and societal cost from emissions from main propulsion fuel and auxiliary fuel use. Calculations suggest full compliance with NOAA 10-knot speed limitations for all vessel types in VSR zones results in an annual increase of costs to vessel operators and a concurrent reduction in societal costs due to lowered emissions. Net annual costs are estimated to increase about 2.1 million would be expected, representing about a 0.8 percent increase. Average vessel transit distances within the VSR represent only a minor portion of overall transit distances. With total trip distances between San Francisco and Vancouver, BC (695 miles), Hawaii (2,500 miles), Shanghai (5,337 miles), Singapore (7,337 miles), added trip cost within the VSR amortized across the entire length of the voyage would result in de minimis increases
Virginia Coastal Master Plan
Full text linkNOAA Office:OCM
Duration of Use Case:Complete
Link to Case:https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/crmp/plan
Geographic Location:
Is the Use Case Published?No
Primary Use:Coastal Resiliance
Which Marine Industries Benefit from the case:Ports, Coastal Infrastructure
Case Benefits:The data helped the state of Virginia, it’s regional planning entities, localities, and stakeholders understand how flooding will change, and the associated risk to communities, infrastructure, natural and social receptors. The information provides a strong foundation to justify continued investments in coastal resilience to protect the quality of life and economy of Virginia communities.
Description:For the development of the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan, we used NOAA VDatum to provide state-wide representation of tidal elevations. Sea Level Rise scenario data were leveraged from the 2017 Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States. Long-term sea level trends from NOAA CO-OPS were used to adjust water level and sea level rise data to a common tidal epoch. Authoritative mapping products and summaries were developed depicting existing and future flood exposure to community, critical infrastructure, natural, and social systems. These were presented in both the first Coastal Master Plan document for Virginia, and the study data portal