By Harley Nefe
BOONE, N.C. – Dr. John Whitehead, professor in the Department of Economics, received an award from the North Carolina Commercial Resource Fund for $34,652 during the period of Aug. 1, 2019 to Aug. 1, 2020.
Whitehead’s research is titled “Impact Analysis of North Carolina’s Commercial Fisheries.” He is working alongside Jane Harrison and Barry Nash from the North Carolina Sea Grant, Eric Edwards and Sara Sutherland from North Carolina State University, and Christopher Dumas from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
The objective of the project is to increase the understanding of the economic impact of North Carolina’s commercial fisheries. This involves collecting and analyzing the novel cost and supply chain data throughout the seafood harvesting, and processing and distributing sectors, including consumer-facing businesses. The project also consists of quantifying the consumer demand for North Carolina’s seafood and assessing the economic impact using methodological best-practices.
This assessment of North Carolina’s commercial fisheries is needed to measure the importance of commercial fishing in the state economy and to inform fishery policy and management decisions.
The Commercial Fishing Resource Fund is composed of funds from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to support the development of sustainable commercial fishing in North Carolina.
About Department of Economics
The Department of Economics offers diverse courses that cover standard fields such as microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, labor, public finance, regional and development economics. The department is particularly strong in the areas of environmental and experimental economics. It offers the Bachelor of Science in business administration (B.S.B.A.) and the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). Learn more at https://economics.appstate.edu.
About Walker College of Business
The Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University delivers transformational educational experiences that prepare and inspire students to be ethical, innovative and engaged business leaders who positively impact our community, both locally and globally. The college places emphasis on international experiences, sustainable business practices, entrepreneurial programs and real-world applications with industry. Enrolling approximately 3,000 undergraduates in 10 majors and 175 graduate students in three master's programs, the Walker College is accredited by AACSB International – the premier global accrediting body for schools of business. Learn more at https://business.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 18,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
Economics faculty receives research award
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