Thursday
10 February 2005
4:30-5:30 pm
102 Fishery Sciences
(auditorium)
Social follows talk
Gunnar KnappProfessor of Economics, University of AlaskaImplications of Aquaculture for Wild Fisheries: The Case of Alaska Wild Salmon
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Worldwide aquaculture production is growing rapidly, and accounts for an increasingly important share of world seafood supply. Aquaculture production is likely to continue to expand because of rapid technological change and the ability of aquaculture to respond to market demands of an increasingly globalized economy--in particular the ability to supply stable and predictable volumes of fish of consistent quality year-round. Experience with farmed salmon, tilapia and other species has show that large-scale aquaculture production of new species can emerge within a short period of time.
Aquaculture has significant and wide-ranging potential implications for wild fisheries. Direct environmental and market effects may lead to a wide variety of indirect economic, social and political effects.
Competition from farmed salmon has been a major factor contributing to a dramatic decline in Alaska wild salmon prices and harvest value since the early 1990s, with wide-ranging direct and indirect effects upon fishermen, processors and fishing communities. Alaska's ban on salmon aquaculture did not protect the Alaska salmon industry from the effects of competition with farmed salmon in international markets.
Understanding how wild and farmed salmon compete requires looking at the entire economic systems for harvesting (or growing), processing, distributing and marketing wild and farmed salmon. The ability to control production gives farmed salmon very important competitive advantages over wild salmon in responding to market demand.
The wild salmon industry can survive and prosper. To do so will require making significant management changes to create the conditions under which economic incentives (rather than government mandates) can bring about improved quality, lower costs, more effective marketing, lower political risk, and innovation and change throughout the industry. Attacking farmed salmon as unhealthy and environmentally or socially irresponsible may bring short-term marketing benefits for certain wild salmon fisheries, but will not help most of the wild salmon industry over the longer term.
The experience of Alaska wild salmon suggests that no wild fishery market-especially for higher valued species-should be taken for granted. Competition from aquaculture will become a driving force for change in management and marketing of wild fisheries. Anyone interested in wild fisheries needs to pay close attention to what is happening in aquaculture.
Gunnar Knapp has been on the faculty of the University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research since receiving his Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University in 1981. Dr. Knapp has conducted a wide variety of research on the Alaska economy and Alaska resources, including in particular markets for Alaska seafood and management of Alaska fisheries resources.
Since 1990, Dr. Knapp has studied world salmon markets and the effects of changing market conditions on the Alaska salmon industry. From 1994 until 1998, Dr. Knapp directed the Salmon Market Information Service, funded by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, to provide salmon market information to Alaska salmon fishermen. Dr. Knapp has made numerous presentations relating to salmon markets for both academic and industry groups, and has traveled to Canada, Japan, Russia, Norway, Chile and Iceland in connection with his research on salmon markets.
Dr. Knapp has also conducted research on a wide variety of other topics including markets for Alaska halibut, herring roe and pollock; restructuring of Alaska salmon management; effects of the Alaska halibut and sablefish IFQ system; economic interactions between Alaska and the Russian Far East; and economic development of rural Alaska.
Dr. Knapp teaches courses at the University of Alaska Anchorage on the Economy of Alaska and Resource Economics.
Dr. Knapp is married and has three children in Middle School and High School. He is President of the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Youth Symphony. A trained classical singer, Dr. Knapp has sung with the Anchorage Opera and other Anchorage singing groups. Dr. Knapp is an active participant in Anchorage cross-country skiing and orienteering events. Dr. Knapp speaks Russian, German, Swedish and French.