NAAFE Special Session and
Multistate W2004 Project
Current Status, Future Prospects:
Funding, Employment and Relevance of the Fisheries Economics Profession
Trends from the Published Record
Janet Webster and Gil Sylvia
Oregon State University

• 1960-2011 theses & dissertations from North
American Universities
• Worldcat & university libraries’ catalogues
• 715 records analyzed
• 1967-2012 in Web of
Knowledge & EconLit with selected keywords & phrases
• Focus on core journals to enhance that dataset
• 2422 records analyzed

Masters and PhD’s
All U.S. Science and Engineering Degrees
60000 700000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
All Ph.D.
All Masters

1400
Masters and PhD’s Economic Degrees
4000
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Ph.D.
Masters

15
10
5
0
25
20
Fisheries Economics Degrees
Ph.D.
Masters

15
10
5
0
25
20
Fisheries Economics Degrees
Ph.D.
Masters

Total Advanced Degrees by Topic
1981-1990 (n=158)
1971-1980 (n=122)
1991-2000 n=154
2001-2010 (n=236)
Production
Aquaculture
Markets & Trade
Management
Recreation

University of Rhode Island
Oregon State University
University of Washington
Auburn University
Simon Fraser University
University of Florida
Texas A&M University
University of California Davis
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Mississippi State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of British Columbia
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Delaware
McGill University
Other Institutions (124)
Trends by Institutions
Total
Grand Total
117
57
174
2
5
1
1
1960-
1995
Ph.D.
1996-
2011
13
8
6
3
7
7
3
29
30
2
6
6
8
3
25
6
8
2
7
1
9
4
2
3
90
108
198
1960-
1995
M.S.
1996-
2011
2
1
5
2
2
5
3
1
6
7
17
1
38
12
1
2
2
3
6
6
6
5
2
1
98
25
1
2
123
41
36
77
1
53
29
82
3
1
3
Other Masters
1960-
1995
1996-
2011
5
20
1
3
20
17
1
2
41
20
61
5
3
1
6
1
1
Total
14
13
12
20
15
14
11
11
440
275
715
36
32
29
24
103
54
52

University of Rhode Island
Oregon State University
University of Washington
Auburn University
Simon Fraser University
University of Florida
Texas A&M University
University of California Davis
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Mississippi State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of British Columbia
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Delaware
McGill University
Other Institutions (124)
Trends by Institutions
Total
Grand Total
5
117
57
174
1
1
2
1960-
1995
Ph.D.
1996-
2011
29
30
2
6
8
7
7
3
13
3
6
9
4
3
6
2
2
7
1
3
25
6
8
8
90
108
198
1960-
1995
M.S.
1996-
2011
38
12
1
17
7
2
2
1
6
3
6
5
2
1
6
6
5
3
1
5
1
2
2
2
1
2
98
25
123
41
36
77
1
3
53
3
1
29
82
Other Masters
1960-
1995
1996-
2011
5
20
1
3
20
17
1
2
1
41
5
3
20
61
6
1
1
Total
103
54
52
36
32
29
24
20
15
14
14
11
440
275
715
13
12
11

University of Rhode Island
Oregon State University
University of Washington
Auburn University
Simon Fraser University
University of Florida
Texas A&M University
University of California Davis
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Mississippi State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of British Columbia
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Delaware
McGill University
Other Institutions (124)
Trends by Institutions
1960-
1995
Ph.D.
1996-
2011
1960-
1995
M.S.
1996-
2011
Other Masters
1960-
1995
1996-
2011
Total
Grand Total
117
57
174
2
5
1
1
7
7
3
3
13
8
2
6
29
30
90
108
198
9
4
2
3
6
6
8
8
25
6
1
3
2
7
98
25
1
2
123
38
12
1
17
1
6
7
3
6
2
2
41
36
77
6
6
5
2
1
1
5
5
3
2
2
1
2
5
20
1
3
53
3
1
29
82
17
1
2
1
41
5
3
20
61
6
1
1
3
20
1
Total
20
15
14
32
29
24
103
54
52
36
11
440
275
715
14
13
12
11

University of Rhode Island
Oregon State University
Auburn University
University of Washington
Simon Fraser University
University of Florida
Texas A&M University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of California Davis
McGill University
Mississippi State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Maine
Michigan State University
University of Delaware
University of California Berkeley
University of California Los Angeles
University of British Columbia
University of California San Diego
University of California Santa Barbara
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Arizona
University of Manitoba
Rankings Across Time
Ph.D
-
3
3
-
2
2
7
7
5
3
13
8
29
30
6
2
2
1
-
-
1
-
-
1960-1995
Masters
1
-
-
6
3
3
6
2
-
3
2
3
18
7
9
43
12
17
21
-
4
-
-
Rank
10
10
10
10
7
8
9
4
5
6
1
2
3
3
4
2
-
1
-
1
1
3
4
-
1
-
-
Ph.D
2
2
2
3
5
13
3
3
3
1996-2004
Masters
-
-
-
1
-
2
4
3
-
-
2
2
5
1
1
5
5
2
11
-
2
-
-
9
6
8
4
9
5
Rank
4
7
7
1
3
6
2
Ph.D
-
-
1
1
3
-
1
3
2
1
4
4
12
3
5
5
5
6
-
6
-
3
2
2005-2011
Masters
-
5
-
-
-
4
2
1
-
1
1
3
3
2
-
1
1
3
10
-
5
1
3
Rank
2
7
4
1
7
5
7
6
6
5
6
3
5
7
6

250
200
150
100
50
0
Trends in Published Articles
# of articles

40
30
20
10
0
60
50
Fishery Econ Publications by Journal
American Journal of Agricultural Economics (n=86)
Aquaculture Economics and Management (n=307)
Ecological Economics (n=262)
Environmental & Resource Economics (n=75)
Fisheries Research (n=55)
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (n=107)
Marine Policy (n=327)
Marine Resource Economics (n=549)

Summary of Results
• Theses and Dissertations
– Far higher ratio of PhD’s to Masters in Fishery
Econ relative to Economics
– Flat growth of Fishery econ from 1980-1998
– Rapid Increase in PhD’s after 2000
– Significant growth in policy and management
– Some larger traditional programs fade
– Emergence of new programs
– Importance of “other” institutions

Summary of Results
(continued)
• Published Journal articles
– Rapid increase since 1990
– New econ and interdisciplinary journals help drive growth
• Aquaculture
• Management/Policy

Speculation, Implications & Questions
– Loss of government funding results in decrease in larger traditional programs
– Growing interest in 1990’s in sustainability and property rights drives students, publications, and new programs
– Increased PhD’s due to greater focus on research, training for academia, and availability of quantitatively skilled students
– More graduates doing fisheries econ PhD’s from more but less focused fishery-economics programs