2023 Outstanding Article Award winner selected (published in MRE Volume 38 [2023])

Marine Resource Economics (MRE) is pleased to present the 2023 Outstanding Article Award to Anna M. Birkenbach, David J. Kaczan, Martin D. Smith, Greg Ardini, Daniel S. Holland, Min‐Yang Lee, Doug Lipton, and Michael D. Travis for their article "Do Catch Shares Increase Prices? Evidence from US fisheries," MRE 38(3): 203-228.

The theoretical advantages of catch shares, such as reducing overcapacity from the 'race to fish' and increasing harvest value, have long been acknowledged. Birkenbach et al. (2023) provides a nuanced perspective on how catch shares influence the value of seafood harvest, identifying conditions where catch shares may have little to no impact on seafood prices, or even negative effects, and demonstrating how price impacts can vary in multi-species fisheries. Their study explores these theoretical ideas by applying causal inference methods to data from 39 U.S. fisheries that adopted catch shares. The authors find mixed evidence of price effects, with positive impacts more likely in high-value fisheries (e.g., Pacific halibut and Atlantic sea scallop) and negative impacts observed in lower-value fisheries (e.g., white hake and Pacific yellowtail rockfish).

"Marine Resource Economics is proud to highlight this significant work, which deepens our understanding of when catch shares can enhance seafood market value," said Sunny Jardine, Editor-in-Chief of Marine Resource Economics. "The analysis by Birkenbach and co-authors offers invaluable insights by advancing the theory of price impacts from catch shares and providing empirically rigorous estimates of these effects across a diverse range of U.S. fisheries. Their work makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the revenue implications of this key fisheries management tool."

This annual award recognizes outstanding works published in Marine Resource Economics, with selections made by the associate editors, who consider articles published during the award year.

Visit the journal’s Outstanding Article Award webpage for more information about the award and to see the list of previous recipients.