Learning about bioeconomic models at UCSB

Bioeconomic models are powerful tools to integrate the ecological and economical components of a fishery and to determine appropriate levels of stock and catch. As part of her PhD project and in line with the objectives of CLOCK, Alba Aguión is constructing a spatial bioeconomic model for the stalked barnacle fishery in Galicia. The model will integrate information gathered in Alba´s fieldwork, data obtained from the FOL agreement with Galician government and larval dispersal matrices that will be produced in the University of Aveiro (Portugal).

Last April, as part of the PERCEBES project, Alba worked at the University of Oviedo (Spain) with Antonella Rivera to learn about the basics of these models in R. This meeting has enabled Alba to start planning the basic components of her model for the questions she wants to address. To keep working on her model´s design,  Alba will do a 3 month research stay at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management (University of California Santa Barbara) this September. She will be working at the Sustainable Fisheries Group (SFG) under the guidance of the economist Christopher Costello, a world expert in these type of models. During the stay Alba will not only learn about bioeconomic modeling, but about innovative techniques for the analysis and presentation of data. From FOL we are thankful to SFG for hosting us and to Campus do Mar (University of Vigo) doctoral program for partially founding Alba´s stay!