Doug Lipton, Ph.D.

Doug Lipton is the Senior Research Scientist for Economics at NOAA Fisheries. In this role, he provides leadership and guidance to the economic and social science enterprise across the agency. In this role, he advises NOAA senior leadership on the conduct and interpretation of economic and social science analyses that impact agency policies. Areas of interest include commercial fisheries analysis, recreational fisheries economics, non-market valuation of marine resources and aquaculture economics

Lipton started his career at NOAA Fisheries Headquarters in the Office of Science and Technology as a fisheries biologist and then industry economist while obtaining his Ph.D. in Agricultural & Resource Economics (AREC) at the University of Maryland. He also has a Master’s Degree in Marine Science from the College of William & Mary (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) and a B.S. in Biology from Stony Brook University.  He spent 25 years (1989-2013) as a faculty member in AREC at the University of Maryland and also was Program Leader for the Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program for 20 of those years.

Most of his research and extension work has focused on valuation of benefits related to improvements in water quality and the economics of ecosystem based fisheries management with specific application to the Chesapeake Bay. His current focus is on integrating economics with ecosystem based fisheries modeling approaches. He has conducted local and international research on the economics of finfish and shellfish aquaculture in extensive, intensive and multi-trophic production systems. Lipton, until recently was a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, Scientific and Statistical Committee. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the International Institute for Fisheries Economics and Trade, Board member of the Marine Resource Economics Foundation and Board Member of the Maryland Agricultural and Resource Based Industries Development Corporation.