Northern Economics

Alaska’s trusted Economics Expert

Melissa Errend Resume

Economist

EDUCATION

2015 – M.S. in Marine Resource Management
Provost Distinguished Graduate Fellow
Thesis: Applying Economic Benefit Transfer to Improve Transfers of Ecological Estimates in Ecosystem Services Research and Policy

2012 – Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude
Marine Biology, Resource Economics

NORTHERN ECONOMICS EXPERIENCE

July 2021–Present
Economist, Northern Economics, Inc.

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

May 2019 to July 2021

Economist, New England Fishery Management Council

  • Primary duties: provide economic analysis to support Council actions; present to public, advisory panels, and public; prepare EIS and RIR/RFA analyses; prepare data visualizations and communication tools.
  • Projects: Amendment 23 (groundfish monitoring amendment); NE groundfish catch share review; geostatistical analysis of a revised redfish exemption area; framework actions 59-61.
  • Skills: Economic data analysis, regulatory analysis to meet requirements of Federal laws, policies and regulations including: Regulatory Flexibility Act, E.O. 12866, E.O. 13771, Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

December 2017 to April 2019

Fisheries Economist, Integrated Statistics in support of NMFS- NEFSC

Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan:

  • Research: Discard incentive modelling, compliance and enforceability indicators, review of monitoring programs in global catch share managed fisheries

Frameworks 57 & 58 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan:

  • Duties: Analyze economic impacts of biennial specifications for harvest measures
  • Skills: Economic data analysis, regulatory analysis to meet requirements of Federal laws, policies and regulations including: Regulatory Flexibility Act, E.O. 12866, E.O. 13771, Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

November 2016 to January 2018

Research Associate, ECS Federal LLC, in support of NMFS- NWFSC

Five-year review of the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program:

  • Research: Assess of the economic impacts of the catch share program on the fishing industry and communities to support the five-year review of the program in compliance with the MSA; presenting analyses and results to management bodies and stakeholders.
  • Skills: Technical writing, economic analysis, data analysis, stakeholder communication.

February 2016 to December 2016

Marine Policy Fellow, Office of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, NOAA Sea Grant

  • Duties: Analyze legislation; draft novel legislation; develop policy strategies; meet with stakeholders; review press releases.
  • Primary issue areas: Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization; Pacific salmon; marine mammals; illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
  • Skills: Drafting legislation; stakeholder communication; legal and regulatory research; policy analysis; formal letter writing.

November 2012 to November 2015

Contractor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Uncertainty, Scalability, and Transferability Project:

  • Duties: Design and test transferability frameworks for ecological estimates and models with a focus on fishery-habitat linkages.

Ecosystem Service Model Library (ESM-L) Project:

  • Bibliographic database of ecological and economic models that describe the production of ecosystem services.
  • Duties: Design and test informational fields, develop quality assurance procedures, and enter ecological and economic model data, specifically bioeconomic fishery models.
  • Skills: Fishery ecosystem services research, risk and uncertainty analysis, bioeconomic modelling.

SELECTED REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS

  1. Errend and C. Demarest. In prep. Monitoring and Accountability in U.S. Catch Share Programs. Intended for: Marine Policy.

NEFMC. 2020. Draft Amendment 23 to the Northeast Fishery Management Plan. https://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/200304_Draft_Groundfish_A23_DEIS_formal_submission_corrected_200312.pdf

  1. Errend, L. Pfeiffer, E. Steiner, M. Guldin, and A. Warlick. 2019. Economic Outcomes for Harvesters Under the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program: Have Goals and Objectives Been Met? Coastal Management. 1:23.
  2. Guldin, A. Warlick, M. Errend, L. Pfeiffer, and E. Steiner. 2019. Shorebased Processor Outcomes under Catch Shares. Coastal Management.1:19.

PFMC and NMFS. 2018. West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program Five-year Review. 2017. Pacific Fisheries Management Council, Agenda Item F.2. November 2017. Costa Mesa, CA.

J.B. Moon, T.H. DeWitt, M. Errend, R.J.F. Bruins, M.E. Kentula, S.J. Chamberlain, M.S. Fennessy, and K.J. Naithani. 2017. Using model application niche analysis to assess the transferability and generalizability of ecological models. Ecosphere.

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

December 2018 to Present

Analyst, Falmouth Litter Reduction Team

  • Community-based group collecting data on litter to find local policy solutions. Conducted a study of litter abundance to inform decision making.

March 2017 to Present

Guest Lecturer, Williams-Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Program

  • Biannual lectures on fisheries economics and management.