Daniel \u201cDanny\u201d Lowinger, Class of 2012<\/p>\n
The Kennebec and Androscoggin Rivers in Maine provide a variety of ecosystem\u00a0services, such as commercial and recreational fishing, boating and hydropower. Historically,\u00a0alewives traveled upstream on the rivers to spawn, while supporting a commercial inshore\u00a0cod fishery. However, human activities such as damming and the presence of paper and\u00a0textile mills along these rivers led to a drastic reduction in alewife populations, which\u00a0essentially destroyed the inshore fishery. Our research project seeks to understand what\u00a0restoration efforts can work, and whether increasing alewife populations could rebuild a\u00a0commercial cod fishery. This project will aid the Maine government, environmental\u00a0organizations, academic institutions and other stakeholders that are conducting ecological\u00a0and economic recovery projects of these Maine rivers.<\/p>\n
My individual research centered on understanding the economics of the river system.\u00a0I began by investigating the economics literature that employed methods for valuing river\u00a0restoration. This aspect of my research involved studying hedonic pricing theory, the travel\u00a0cost method, and benefits transfer. After understanding the basics of these valuation methods,\u00a0I collected a variety of sources from that implemented them, which could form the basis of a\u00a0future benefits transfer study. I learned how economists monetize non-market goods along\u00a0rivers like recreational fishing, swimming, and boating, and I found that in some cases\u00a0residents are willing to pay for restoration efforts that have not been implemented. I also\u00a0examined the literature of case studies documenting the management regimes of fisheries,\u00a0water and forests with multiple user groups. Many of these studies use Nobel laureate Elinor\u00a0Ostrom\u2019s framework for governance of common pool resources. These case studies will aid\u00a0Professor Herrera\u2019s work on small-scale fisheries in the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
Outside of examining the scholarship, I engaged in ecological fieldwork mapping\u00a0vegetation in Merrymeeting Bay, which the biologists working on the project are using to\u00a0understand changes in the river system over time. Toward the end of my fellowship, I aided\u00a0in the running focus groups about rivers at Bates and Bowdoin consisting of Maine residents.\u00a0The focus groups are intended to serve as a starting point for a contingent valuation study\u00a0that Professor Herrera will design with a fellow economist at Bates. The focus groups were\u00a0recorded on video and I was responsible for transcribing them. We asked respondents\u00a0questions concerning knowledge of restoration efforts, perceptions of individual Maine\u00a0rivers, and how they used or could hypothetically use them if improvements were made.<\/p>\n
Faculty Mentor: Guillermo \u201cTa\u201d Herrera<\/p>\n
Funded by the Sustainability Solutions Partners Fellowship<\/p>\n
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Daniel \u201cDanny\u201d Lowinger, Class of 2012 The Kennebec and Androscoggin Rivers in Maine provide a variety of ecosystem\u00a0services, such as commercial and recreational fishing, boating and hydropower. Historically,\u00a0alewives traveled upstream on the rivers to spawn, while supporting a commercial inshore\u00a0cod … Continue reading