Eliciting expert judgment to inform management of diverse oyster resources for multiple ecosystem services

Daniel R Petrolia; Frederick Nyanzu; Just Cebrian; Ardian Harri; Jamie Amato; William C Walton

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110676

Eliciting expert judgment to inform management of diverse oyster resources for multiple ecosystem services

J Environ Manage. 2020 Aug 15:268:110676. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110676. Epub 2020 May 14.

Authors

Daniel R Petrolia¹, Frederick Nyanzu², Just Cebrian³, Ardian Harri⁴, Jamie Amato⁵, William C Walton⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University, Box 5187, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA. Electronic address: d.petrolia@msstate.edu.
² Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois, 326 Mumford Hall, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
³ Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University, 1021 Balch Blvd, Stennis Space Center, MS, 39529, USA.
⁴ Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University, Box 5187, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA.
⁵ Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, 25 Life Sciences Bldg, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA; Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island, AL, 36528, USA.
⁶ Auburn University Shellfish Laboratory, Auburn University, 150 Agassiz St., Dauphin Island, AL, 36528, USA.

PMID: 32510433
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110676

Abstract

This study presents the most comprehensive set of ecosystem service provision estimates for diverse oyster-based resources to date. We use expert elicitation methods to derive estimates of five ecosystem services provided by oysters: oyster harvest (as indicated by oyster density), improved water quality (net nitrogen assimilation), shoreline protection (net erosion), and other fish habitat (blue crab and red drum density). Distributions are estimated for three distinct resources: on-bottom production, off-bottom farms, and non-harvested restoration/conservation efforts, under twelve distinct scenarios according to varying environmental conditions (eutrophication, sedimentation, and salinity regimes). Our expert-derived estimates of ecosystem services provide useful comparisons across oyster resources of both expected ecosystem service delivery levels and the amount of variation in those levels. These estimates bridge an information gap regarding relative performance of diverse oyster resources along multiple dimensions and should serve as a useful guide for resource managers facing competing interests.

Keywords: Coastal; Erosion; Expert elicitation; Marine; Off-bottom aquaculture; Restored reef.

MeSH terms

Animals
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecosystem*
Eutrophication
Judgment
Ostreidae*
Salinity