Dr. Scott Knoche is the Director of PEARL with research interests in the area of environmental and natural resource economics. Scott received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University, with his dissertation "Discrete Choice Models of Hunting and Fishing in Michigan" examining hunter and angler preferences for and valuation of recreation site attributes. Prior to receiving his PhD, Scott worked as an economist at the U.S. Coast Guard's National Pollution Funds Center, evaluating and adjudicating trustee compensation claims from oil spill - related natural resource damages. After his PhD, Scott worked as a post-doctoral fisheries economist joint with the University of Maryland's Agricultural and Resource Economics Department and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division.

Research Interests:

As well as being PEARL Director, Dr. Knoche serves as the lead of the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Research Program at the PEARL. This program has experienced much growth and continues to attract funding support from Federal and State agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Maryland Department of the Environment. Dr. Knoche and his team address key natural resource management topics including: consumer preferences for farmed salmon, impact of outdoor recreation on regional economies, effect of trash on water-based outdoor recreation experiences, and the economic benefits of environmental restoration. 

Specific Research Interests:

• Non-Market Valuation
• Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Management
• Stated Preference Survey Methods
• Survey Development and Methodology
• Discrete Choice Analysis

Courses Taught:

ECON 212: Microeconomics

ECON 351: Environmental Economics and Policy

Publications:

• Knoche,S., and Ritchie, K. (2022). A Travel Cost Recreation DemandModel Examining the Economic Benefits of Acid Mine Drainage Remediation to Trout Anglers. Journal of Environmental Management, 319.

• Knoche, S.,T.F. Ihde, G. Samonte, H.M. Townsend, D. Lipton, K. A. Lewis, and S. Steinback. (2020). Estimating Ecological Benefits and Socio-Economic Impacts from OysterReef Restoration in the Choptank River Complex, Chesapeake Bay. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-OHC-6. 

• Roberts,A. J., Devers, P. K., Knoche, S., Padding, P. I., & Raftovich, R. (2017). Site preferences and participation of waterbird recreationists: Using choice modelling to inform habitat management. Journal of Outdoor Recreationand Tourism, 20, 52-59.
• Knoche, S.& Lupi, F. (2016). Demand for Fishery Regulations: Effects of Angler Heterogeneity and Catch Improvements on Preferences for Gear and Harvest Restrictions. Fisheries Research, 181, 163-171.