Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Fisheries Economist Will be Interim Director of Research Institute


Fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp will step in as interim director of the University of Alaska Anchorage’s premiere research institute on Jan. 1, officials of the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research said Dec. 3.

Knapp, who has been recognized internationally for his work on fisheries markets and management of fisheries resources, holds a doctorate in economics from Yale University.

He is filling the post on an interim basis after Heather Hudson, founder of the Telecommunications Management and Policy Program at the University of San Francisco, stepped down through the spring of 2013 to write a book on the history of telecommunications in Alaska.

Knapp said Dec. 3 that the ISER director’s job will take about half his time, and that he intends to remain involved in fisheries research while cutting back on some more peripheral activities. “Professionally fisheries are very important to me,” said Knapp, who studies market trends for Alaska fisheries and major management issues.

Knapp was busy in December preparing for a presentation he is scheduled to deliver at the Global Seafood Market Conference in Santa Monica, CA. The Jan. 29-31 conference attracts a group that includes high-level seafood industry executives.

It provides the industry with information on the economic, social and demographic trends and changes that will affect international seafood markets.