Kanae Tokunaga, Ph.D.

Dr. Kanae Tokunaga came to GMRI in March of 2019 to lead our Coastal and Marine Economics Lab. Prior to GMRI, Kanae received her Ph.D. in Economics and Graduate Ocean Policy Certificate from the University of Hawaii. After completing her Ph.D., she worked as a researcher at the University of Tokyo’s Ocean Alliance. At the University of Tokyo, she looked at a range of topics, including fisheries management, seafood market analysis, ecosystem service valuation, marine spatial planning, and offshore renewable energy development.

In her research, she uses various research methods, including bioeconomic modeling, econometrics, surveys, and interviews, to approach coastal and marine resource management issues. She is primarily interested in understanding efficiency, efficacy, and stability of various fisheries management institutions, and how they may be impacted by climate change and other environmental changes various aspects of socio-economic activities that take place in coastal communities, and how they shape coastal and marine resource use.

Kanae values and enjoys collaborative research and continues to work with researchers from diverse disciplines such as sociology, engineering, oceanography, while also working closely with coastal communities, policymakers, and industries. She continues her love of economics outside of work where you can find her visiting fish markets and auctions throughout the region.