Ben Cotton

Ben joined GMRI as a Research Associate in Kanae Tokunaga's Coastal and Marine Economics Lab in August 2024. As a member of the GMRI staff, Ben will be participating in multiple projects surrounding Maine's coastal resources and fishery markets, including factors impacting the soft-shell clam fisheries and the volatility of fish prices due to human-caused stressors. He is further interested in understanding how different environmental changes and concerns affect coastal communities across the state. In 2024, Ben received his M.S. in Economics from the University of Maine, previously completing his B.S. in Economics and B.A. in Political Science from the University of Maine in 2022. As a student, Ben participated in multiple research projects regarding behavioral environmental economics and natural resource management. These projects included understanding allocation preferences to improve coastal water quality, supporting a coastal public boat launch inventory for the state of Maine, and understanding community resilience metrics and how they can support the growth of aquaculture in Maine. In his free time, Ben enjoys remaining active outdoors through exploring new hiking and biking trails throughout Maine as well as participating in recreational sports.