Gulf oysters are harvested and consumed year-round, with more than 90% consumed in a raw, unprocessed state. A chief concern of policymakers in recent years is the incidence of Vibrio vulnificus infection following raw seafood consumption. V.vulnificus refers to a halophilic bacterium naturally occurring in brackish coastal waters, which concentrates in filter-feeding oysters. Proposed FDA legislation requiring processing of all raw Gulf oysters sold during warmer summer months threatens the Gulf oyster industry, as little to no research regarding demand for post-harvest processing (PHP) has preceded the potential mandate. This research endeavors to examine the relationship between oyster consumers' fears of V.vulnificus infection and their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for processing of an oyster meal. The psychological model of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) is employed alongside the economic framework of contingent valuation (CV) to result in an analysis of oyster processing demand with respect to threats and efficacy. A survey administered to 2,172 oyster consumers in six oyster producing states elicits projected consumption and PMT data. Principal Component Analysis is used to reduce the number of PMT variables to a smaller size, resulting in five individual principal components representing the PMT elements of source information, threat appraisal, coping appraisal, maladaptive coping, and protection motivation. Using survey data, the marginal willingness-to-pay (MWTP) for PHP per oyster meal is also calculated, and the five created PMT variables are regressed on this calculation using four separate OLS models. Results indicate significant correlation for four of the five created PMT variables. In addition, a mean MWTP for PHP of $0.31 per oyster meal is determined, contributing to the demand analysis for processing of Gulf oysters. The findings suggest a strong relationship between the fear elements and the demand for processing, and support arguments in favor of further research on specific PHP treatments and the necessity for a valid PMT survey instrument.

Within the East coast and West Coast oyster market, oysters are generally marketed using product attributes and brand name. However the Gulf oyster market does not involve branding. Using choice experiment method and online survey data, the study estimated the effect of branding Gulf oysters on Gulf and Non-Gulf consumers' willingness to pay. Alternative-specific conditional logit, Nested logit and Alternative-specific multinomial probit methods of analysis were used to investigate the Independence of Irrelevant Alternative assumption made about consumers. Pooled and scaled models were used to analyze the identified data categories from which consumers were found to share the same oyster preferences. The results found that consumers on the average were willing to pay more for the oysters harvested from their own region relative to those harvested from outside their region. They were willing to pay a less for oysters harvested outside their region.

Three restaurant taste panels and an online consumer survey were conducted during 2012-2013 to assess whether Gulf consumers would be willing to pay a premium for place-name specific (i.e., “branded”) Gulf oysters over typical “generic” Gulf oysters, and whether consumers in other U.S. markets would be willing to pay for branded Gulf oysters compared to other U.S. branded oysters. Panelists in the two Gulf Coast taste panels had strong preferences for local oyster varieties when they were aware of oyster variety names and harvest locations (i.e., during labeled rounds). In the absence this information (i.e., during blind rounds), panelists had no such preferences, and in the case of the Houston taste panel, actually had a significant distaste for the local Galveston Bay variety. Panelists in the Chicago taste panel had strong preferences for the Island Creek oyster, in both the blinded and labeled rounds, although during the labeled rounds, the Point aux Pins oysters fared equally well (statistically) to the Island Creeks. Additionally, during the labeled rounds, the Apalachicola Bay and Point aux Pins oysters were statistically more likely to be chosen over the San Antonio Bay oysters. Respondents to the online survey tended to have higher perceptions of quality and seafood safety regarding their own regionally-produced oysters relative to oysters from other regions. There was limited variation in perceptions from one Gulf Coast variety to another, with the exception of the Apalachicola Bay variety being rated higher in several cases, and the more general “Gulf of Mexico” category being rated lower. Online survey results indicate that, consumers living in eastern Gulf states such as Georgia and Florida may be willing to pay a premium for branded Gulf oysters, particularly oysters from Florida and Louisiana. Gulf consumers living in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, however, did not show any strong preferences for branded oysters relative to cheaper generic ones. Among non-Gulf consumers, survey results indicate that while a price discount may be needed to sell branded Gulf oysters relative to local oysters (i.e., relative to, say, East Coast oysters in East Coast markets), that Gulf oysters generally fared no worse than other non-local oysters (i.e., West Coast oysters in East Coast markets). Of the Gulf oysters tested, Atlantic Coast respondents appear to prefer Louisiana oysters. Pacific Coast respondents appear to be indifferent between most Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast varieties. Also, it appears that relatively few respondents were concerned about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill when answering questions about oysters, although these concerns did affect preferences for Gulf Coast oysters negatively in some cases. Less than 1% of all respondents indicated any concern regarding Vibrio vulnificus, bacteria, or similar. However, such concerns, though not cited explicitly, may yet be latent in the reported perceptions of oysters from various Gulf Coast locations. These results would indicate that there is some room for opportunity for branded Gulf Coast oysters along these other two coasts in places where other non-local oysters are marketed successfully. The major challenge appears to be whether the price discount necessary to entice consumers in these other markets to buy Gulf Coast oysters relative to local varieties is yet sufficiently high as to remain a profitable enterprise for Gulf Coast producers. The price discounts estimated here in the range of $5-$10 per half-dozen sounds like a steep discount, but given the large differential in retail prices in Atlantic and Pacific markets - where oysters retail anywhere from $15 to $25 per half-dozen - compared to Gulf Coast markets - where they retail in the neighborhood of $7 to $10 - it is possible that even with the discounts, the prices received in these alternative markets may remain profitable.

Nutrient recycling, habitat for plants and animals, flood control, and water supply are among the many beneficial services provided by aquatic ecosystems. In making decisions about human activities, such as draining a wetland for a housing development, it is essential to consider both the value of the development and the value of the ecosystem services that could be lost. Despite a growing recognition of the importance of ecosystem services, their value is often overlooked in environmental decision-making. This report identifies methods for assigning economic value to ecosystem servicesâ€"even intangible onesâ€"and calls for greater collaboration between ecologists and economists in such efforts.

The restoration of habitat has become a priority for many citizens and governments as the ecological and societal benefits of these habitats have been become more widely recognised. This publication is intended to provide foundational information to serve as a useful starting pointfor shellfish reef restoration.

The winners of the Nobel Prize show how economics, when done right, can help us solve the thorniest social and political problems of our day. Figuring out how to deal with today's critical economic problems is perhaps the great challenge of our time. Much greater than space travel or perhaps even the next revolutionary medical breakthrough, what is at stake is the whole idea of the good life as we have known it. Immigration and inequality, globalization and technological disruption, slowing growth and accelerating climate change--these are sources of great anxiety across the world, from New Delhi and Dakar to Paris and Washington, DC. The resources to address these challenges are there--what we lack are ideas that will help us jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us. If we succeed, history will remember our era with gratitude; if we fail, the potential losses are incalculable. In this revolutionary book, renowned MIT economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo take on this challenge, building on cutting-edge research in economics explained with lucidity and grace. Original, provocative, and urgent, Good Economics for Hard Times makes a persuasive case for an intelligent interventionism and a society built on compassion and respect. It is an extraordinary achievement, one that shines a light to help us appreciate and understand our precariously balanced world.