Working Papers • Peer-Reviewed Publications • Policy Reports and Publications • Research Experience
Working PapersFish or Flight: The Role of Accident Risk in Commercial Fishing Decision-Making (JMP)
Thamanna Vasan, 2022
Abstract: Firms face many competing incentives when managing accident risk in the workplace. This is especially true in industries where accident risk is closely related to a firm’s production choices, as is the case in commercial fishing. This paper examines vessels’ short-run decisions in response to increasing current and future period wave and swell heights that increase worker accident risk. Using high-resolution vessel positioning data paired with fishing outcome and weather data, I estimate an empirical model that captures the underlying production process in the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishery. The analysis reveals that the current management instruments used to manage the fishery sustainably also create incentives for vessels to increase their exposure to hazards when fishing conditions are more hazardous than average. Additionally, the results indicate that vessels behave rationally and decrease their exposure to hazards, although the threshold at which this occurs is typically higher than the thresholds and safety standards established by regulators. These results suggest that vessels are anticipatory and go on longer fishing trips when conditions are expected to worsen, but do eventually choose to reduce their exposure to accident risk. This paper is the first in the literature to empirically estimate how firms respond to hazard exposure during production. The results highlight the need for improved comanagement of safety and biological endpoints in industries with high environmental hazards, such as fishing, forestry, mining, and agriculture.
Note: This paper includes administrative data that is protected under a data-use agreement. Please email me at vasant at oregonstate dot edu for a copy of the draft.
A Safer Catch? The Role of Fisheries Management in Fishing Safety, with Lisa Pfeiffer and Tess Petesch, Marine Resource Economics, Volume 37, Number 1. January 2022
Abstract: Commercial fishers are constantly exposed to many risk factors, making it a dangerous occupation. Fisheries management that limits access and catches can give rise to well-known stock and rule-of-capture externalities known as the “race to fish.” This market failure dissipates rents and can lead fishers to take on additional risks such as fishing in poor weather, overloading vessels, or delaying maintenance to outcompete others. Rights-based management is expected to reduce the incentives to take on additional risk. Using a large dataset of fishers from around the United States, we empirically estimate the effects of individual fishing quota (IFQ) programs on one important risk factor: the decision to fish in poor weather. We find that risk-taking behavior generally decreases under IFQs, but the magnitude of the shift differs by fishery, and we explore potential drivers of these differences.
What can the Pacific Northwest Oyster Aquaculture Industry do about Ocean Acidification?, with David M. Kling. Agriculture Climate Network, April 2019.
Blog post about aquaculture firm adaptation to ocean acidification in the Pacific Northwest.
The Costs and Benefits of a Supervised Use Site in Denver, Colorado, with Amos Irwin and Lisa Raville. Drug Policy Alliance, Feburary 2019.
Report marshals the best available data from Denver and from existing facilities in Canada and Europe to analyze the cost effectiveness of a prospective supervised use site in Denver.
Urban Tax Cuts, Rural Health Cuts: The AHCA’s Effect on Colorado, with Samantha Curran, Kathy White, and Chris Stiffler Colorado Fiscal Institute, June 2017.
Report marshals the best available data from Denver and from existing facilities in Canada and Europe to analyze the cost effectiveness of a prospective supervised use site in Denver.
Comparing ColoradoCare: An Analysis of Health Care Costs for Latino and Immigrant Coloradans, with Chris Stiffler, Kathy White, and Luke Straka. Colorado Fiscal Institute, July 2016.
Analysis of universal healthcare system on access to care and cost for the Latino community in Colorado. Original survey to bridge competency gaps present in existing national and state panel data sets such as the MEPS to understand gaps in access and care.
Ticket to Thrive: A Solution for Affordable Transit in the Denver Region, with Chris Stiffler. Colorado Fiscal Institute, April 2016.
Analyzes the economic and fiscal impacts of a low-income fare on the transit agency and state revenue.
Oregon State University— Department of Applied Economics
Corvallis OR, Spring 2018-Present
Graduate Research Assistant
- “Evaluation of mitigation strategies for harmful algal blooms in the West Coast Dungeness crab fishery”. NCCOS Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms Program. D. Kling (lead PI, Supervisor), D. Holland, S. Jardine, J. Sanchirico, and G. Sylvia (co-PIs). Fall 2020-Present.
- “Vulnerability and Adaptation to Ocean Acidification Among Pacific Northwest Mussel and Oyster Stakeholders”. NOAA Ocean Acidification Program. DJ. Wrathall (lead PI), G. Waldbusser, and D. Kling (Supervisor). Summer 2019-Summer 2020.
- Miscellaneous data collection, analysis, and literature review for Jennifer Alix-Garcia (Spring 2018) and William Jaeger (Winter 2018)
ECS Federal, in support of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Seattle WA, Spring 2019-Fall 2020
Research Associate; Supervisor: Lisa Pfeiffer
Data Science for the Public Good
Corvallis OR, Summer 2020
Graduate Fellow and Mentor
Colorado Fiscal Institute
Denver CO, May 2014- September 2017 \
Economic Policy and State Budget Analyst
Rocky Mountain PBS
Denver CO, June 2013 – December 2013 \
Investigative Journalism Quantitative Research Fellow