Award of Excellence recipient Dr. Lee Anderson
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has named Dr. Lee Anderson as the recipient of the Council’s prestigious Award of Excellence. The award was presented to Dr. Anderson during the August 2023 Council Meeting held in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Award of Excellence was established in 2016 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to fisheries management, legislation, science, or law enforcement in the Mid-Atlantic region. The award is made on a periodic basis, subject to the identification and selection of outstanding individuals, and has only been given one other time.
Dr. Anderson has been a valued participant in the Mid-Atlantic Council process for almost the entirety of the Council’s 47-year history. He was one of three economists appointed to the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee when it was first formed in 1976. He was later appointed to the Council, holding Delaware’s obligatory seat from 1986 to 1995 and 2007 to 2016. He served for three years as Council Chair (1992-1995) and a total of ten years as Vice-Chair (1990-1992, 2008-2016). After his departure from the Council in 2016, Dr. Anderson was reappointed to the SSC and served until early 2023.
“Lee’s impact on fisheries management, economics, and policy has not only shaped the present but also paved the way for a more sustainable future,” said Chris Moore, Executive Director of the Council. “Throughout his years on the Council and SSC, he brought a wealth of knowledge that helped the Council understand and account for the economic forces that shape fisheries management decisions.”
Dr. Anderson’s expertise and leadership were particularly instrumental in the Council’s development of an individual transferable quota program system for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries, which was the first catch share program in the United States.
In addition to his contributions to the Council, Dr. Anderson has had a profound impact on the field of fisheries economics. After receiving his bachelor's degree in economics from Brigham Young University in 1966, he earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Washington in 1970. In 1974 he joined the University of Delaware, where he would serve as Director of the Marine Policy Program in the College of Marine Studies from 1986 to 2004. His book The Economics of Fisheries Management has served as an important learning tool for fisheries economists nationally and internationally. He has written or edited six books and over sixty scientific papers and is recognized as a respected mentor and collaborator.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council proudly congratulates Dr. Anderson on this well-deserved recognition.