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Observer on deck with white buckets and orange baskets at sunset.

Eric Thunberg, PhD

Economist
Office of Science and Technology
Economics and Social Analysis Division
Office: (747) 435-1330
Email: eric.thunberg@noaa.gov

Eric Thunberg, PhD

Economist

Education

  • Ph.D., Agricultural Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988
  • M.S., Agricultural Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1985
  • B.S., Resource Economics, University of New Hampshire, 1982

Professional History

  • 2015-Present, Chief, Social Sciences Branch, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
  • 2011-2015, Program Lead, Commercial Fisheries Economics, Office of Science and Technology, Economic and Social Analysis Division
  • 1993-2010, Economist, Social Sciences Branch, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
  • 1987-1993, Assistant Professor, Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
  • NOAA Publications

Background

Eric received a B.S. in natural resource economics from the University of New Hampshire in 1982. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and received a M.S. in 1985 and Ph.D. in 1988. Eric was an Assistant Professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida where he had a teaching, research and extension appointment in marine resource economics. He joined the Social Sciences Branch at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in 1993 where he served on the groundfish Plan Development Team from 1995 to 2010. Eric was the Program Lead for commercial fisheries economics at the Office of Science and Technology from 2011-2015 before becoming Chief of the Social Sciences Branch at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in 2016.

Research

Eric's research has primarily focused on the role and contribution of economic analysis in fishery management policy and regulatory design. Recent projects included development and implementation of indicators of fisheries performance, risk assessment for fishing vessel safety, and measures of fleet diversity in the groundfish fishery. Current projects are analysis of changes in vessel ownership in the groundfish fishery, comparative analysis of coupled economic and ecological models, and methodological considerations in the collection and use of cost data.