AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Fish and Wildlife Resources

ECONorthwest is a leader in analyzing the economic benefits and costs of policies to protect and improve fish and wildlife populations, especially salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. ECONorthwest applies professional methods to calculate the value of recreational fisheries, to evaluate policies aimed at enhancing populations of threatened or endangered species, to analyze the impact of sand and gravel mining, dams and other land-use disturbances on sensitive wildlife populations, and to address the impacts of climate change on a diverse range of ecosystems. ECONorthwest has worked extensively on modeling the environmental impacts of deepening the shipping channels of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. ECONorthwest also has experience assessing the economic impacts of toxic-waste spills on commercial and recreational fisheries.

Salmon Economics

ECONorthwest has worked extensively on salmon issues in the Pacific Northwest since the early 1990s. In an effort to expand the conversation surrounding economic issues related to protecting salmon, ECONorthwest economists established Salmon and the Economy. This website contains a sample of our reports on salmon issues, valuable information from other organizations, and government documents related to salmon protection and recovery.

Threatened and Endangered Species

In addition to our work related to Pacific salmon, ECONorthwest has worked on matters involving critical habitat designation under the federal Endangered Species Act for many species:

Northern spotted owl	Pacific salmon
Rio Grande silvery minnow	Shortnose sucker
Lost River sucker	Steller sea lions
Bull trout	Cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl
Marbled murrelet	Steller's eider
Spectacled eider	Red-legged frog
Gnatcatcher