Assessing the Economic Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Selected Industries
The Economics subteam is assessing the economic impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Gulf Coastal communities, particularly effects on fishing, seafood processing, and tourism industries.
Using publicly available, routinely collected data on landings, revenues, and fishing effort for select fish species, researchers are examining overall impact of the DWH oil spill as well as changes that occurred over time.
Selected Findings:
What Were the Direct Impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill on the Commercial Blue Crab Fishery?
- We compared changes in Gulf landings following the spill to changes in Atlantic landings, and found that the spill resulted in a 75-85% decrease in landings in the months immediately following the spill, followed by a relatively swift recovery. While there is some evidence of potential longer-term impacts, we cannot estimate these effects precisely. Because of the potential for substitution between Gulf and Atlantic crab, these results represent an upper bound on the true impact.
- We also compared landings in Louisiana crabbing basins that were more versus less affected by the spill, and found a 50% drop in crabbing trips in basins that were more affected following the spill, but little impact on landings, likely because the spill and the resulting closures changed the relationship between effort (trips) and landings.
- Overall, our findings suggest that the Deepwater spill did result in substantial, short-term losses to the blue crab fishery, but that the fishery also exhibited a high degree of resilience and recovered quickly as soon as the closures were ended.
View Summary of Findings »
View Full Report »
Louisiana commercial blue crab landings and crabbing trips
Annual commercial blue crab landings and crabbing trips in Louisiana basins defined as treatment and control, as discussed in the text. Authors’ calculations based on data provided by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The vertical line in each figure indicates the Deepwater Horizon spill in April 2010.Related News
Customize Your Search For Resilient Gulf Resources: CRGC Launches New Resources Webpage
CRGC is pleased to announce the launch of its new and improved Resources page, now live on the Consortium’s website. CRGC offers an exciting range of resources tailored for academics, community leaders, fishing/seafood industry stakeholders, healthcare providers, and policymakers that span across an array topic areas.
Learn more »Local Shipbuilders from Alabama and Louisiana Supply Passenger Vessels for NYC’s New Citywide Ferry Service
The H200, a catamaran passenger vessel built by Horizon Shipbuilding based out of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, began its 1,700-mile voyage to New York City on March 21. The vessel is the first of 13 catamaran passenger vessels Horizon is building for the Big Apple’s new citywide ferry service. By 2018, Horizon, along with Metal Shark – a Louisiana based shipbuilder that recently saw two of its ferries off to NYC – will have built 19 ferries for NYC’s new fleet. Learn more »
GoMRI eNews: March 21, 2017 Edition
Check out the latest edition of GoMRI’s eNews, which keeps researchers, students, community members, and other stakeholders working in the field current on emerging Gulf science and the people investigating the effects of oil spills on the environment and public health. This edition of eNews features, CRGC’s Student Spotlight of Nicholas Thomas, in the Project Activities section! Learn more »
Fellows Participate in 2nd Module of “Planning For Resilient Gulf Communities” Executive Leadership Training
Inaugural cohort of Southeastern Louisiana Disaster Resilience Leadership Fellows participate in second module of “Planning for Resilient Communities” Executive Leadership Training.
Learn more »Estimating the Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Fisheries Landings
CRGC team members Dr. Craig Bond, Dr. Shanthi Nataraj, and Ms. Jacqueline Fiore just published preliminary results on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s impact on the Gulf fisheries industry. This paper reports results from an ex-post analysis of the spill using publicly available, routinely collected data on landings, revenues, and fishing effort for select fish species in the Gulf. The research team’s methods examine the overall impact of the oil spill as well as changes that occurred over time. Learn more »
Shipbuilders in AL and LA Expand Operations to Deliver New Fleet of Passenger Ferries for New York City
Horizon Shipbuilders, based out of Bayou La Batre, AL, and Metal Shark, a boatbuilder located in Franklin, LA, are rapidly working to build boats for an ambitious citywide ferry service that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has pledged to begin next summer. Horizon and Metal Shark are working on a tight schedule to build the 19 vessels needed for Mayor de Blasio’s $325-million citywide ferry service, timed to begin as he seeks re-election for office next November. This new ferry service would be the most extensive of its kind in any American city.
Learn more »CRGC Featured In GoMRI’s Summer 2016 Newsletter
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) features the Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities (CRGC) as it’s cover story in its Summer 2016 Newsletter. Learn more »
CRGC Holds All-Hands Meeting In Alabama, Tours Local Businesses in Bayou La Batre
With team members spread across not only the Gulf States region, but also the entire U.S., CRGC recently held an “all-hands” meeting in Alabama to bring together its research staff, students, advisors, and community partners. The group also had the opportunity to tour local businesses in Bayou La Batre, AL.
CRGC Appoints Alabama Stakeholder Advisory Committee
A new stakeholder advisory committee will provide CRGC researchers with diverse perspectives on the environmental, public health, social, economic, legal, and cultural landscapes of Bayou La Batre, AL, and will provide feedback and make recommendations about the existing and planned activities of the CRGC.