Skip to main
Lichen
George Mason University

Faculty & Staff Directory

Diego Valderrama

  • Assistant Professor
  • Undergraduate Program Advisor
  • Marine Conservation, Natural Resource Economics, Sustainable Aquaculture

    Contact Info

    Diego Valderrama
    Name
    Diego Valderrama
    Job Title
    Assistant Professor
    Undergraduate Program Advisor
    Marine Conservation, Natural Resource Economics, Sustainable Aquaculture
    Phone Number
    703-993-1029
    Office Number
    David King Hall, Room 3033, MSN 5F2

    Affiliations

    Departments

    Research Areas

    • Aquatic Ecology
    • Conservation
    • Marine Conservation
    • Natural Resource Economics
    • Sustainable Aquaculture
    • Sustainable Fisheries

    Education

    PhD, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, University of Rhode Island (2008)
    MSc, Aquaculture/Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (2000)
    BS, Marine Biology, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano - Colombia (1994)

    Download CV

    About

    The major goal of Dr. Valderrama’s research program is to improve the environmental and economic management of living marine resources through the application of methods derived from economic and social science. His work is largely interdisciplinary and draws from disciplines as varied as marine biology, fish ecology, and natural resource economics. Dr. Valderrama has examined the environmental and economic performance of a number of fisheries in the U.S and Latin America (Atlantic sea scallops, salmon, shrimp). In addition, he has investigated the production and environmental economics of a broad range of aquaculture species (shrimp, tilapia, catfish, hybrid striped bass, scallops, seaweed) and culture systems around the world. His research has also attempted to measure the potential of aquaculture to improve the socio-economic conditions of coastal communities affected by declining fisheries in developing countries. The accomplishment of marine conservation objectives through the development of sustainable aquaculture industries is another long-standing research interest. Dr. Valderrama has implemented his research program through academic institutions in the U.S. and Colombia, and also as an Aquaculture Officer for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

    Current Research

    Dr. Valderrama’s current research projects are focused on the ecological management of the lionfish invasion in the Western Atlantic and the sustainable management of living marine resources (e.g., queen conch fishery) in the Seaflower Marine Protected Area (largest MPA in the Caribbean Sea).

    Teaching Focus

    Dr. Valderrama teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in the following areas: 1) marine conservation / marine sciences; 2) environmental economics; 3) statistics / numerical analysis / experimental design. The following are some of the courses he is currently responsible for:
    EVPP 421 / EVPP 521 / BIOL 450 - Marine Conservation
    GEOL 309 / EVPP 309 - Introduction to Oceanography
    EVPP 338 - The Economics of Environmental Policy
    EVPP 651 - Multivariate Data Analysis
    EVPP 692 - Seminar in Ecosystem Services

    Selected Publications

    Marco, J., D. Valderrama, M. Rueda and M. Rodríguez-Prieto.  2021.  Improving utilization of the queen conch (Aliger gigas) resource in Colombia.  Marine Resource Economics 36: 411-437.

    Marco, J., D. Valderrama and M. Rueda.  2021.  Evaluating management reforms in a Colombian shrimp fishery using the Fishery Performance Indicators.  Marine Policy 125: 104258. 

    Marco, J., D. Valderrama and M. Rueda.  2021.  Triple bottom line assessment for the historically underperforming Colombian queen conch fishery.  Marine Policy 125: 104257. 

    Asche, F., J.L. Anderson, R. Botta, G. Kumar, E.B. Abrahamsen, L.T. Nguyen, and D. Valderrama.  2021.  The economics of shrimp disease.  Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 186: 107397.

    Valderrama, D. and K.H. Fields. 2017. Flawed evidence on the Metabolic Theory of Ecology may undermine goals of ecosystem-based fishery management: The case of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish. ICES Journal of Marine Science 74:1256–1267 (https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/74/5/1256/2742003)

    Valderrama, D., L.A. Velasco and N. Quiroz. 2016. Economic assessment of hatchery production of Argopecten nucleus spat to support the development of scallop aquaculture in the wider Caribbean. Aquaculture Reports 4:169-177 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352513416300369)

    Valderrama, D. and K.H. Fields. 2015. Linking removal targets to the ecological effects of invaders: a predictive model and field test - Letter to the Editor. Ecological Applications 25:2047-2048 (https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/14-2485.1)

    Valderrama, D., J. Cai, N. Hishamunda, N. Ridler, I.C. Neish, A.Q. Hurtado, F.E. Msuya, M. Krishnan, R. Narayanakumar, M. Kronen, D. Robledo, E. Gasca-Leyva and J. Fraga. 2015. The economics of Kappaphycus seaweed cultivation in developing countries: a comparative analysis of farming systems. Aquaculture Economics and Management 19:251-277 (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13657305.2015.1024348?journalCode=uaqm20)

    Anderson, J.L., C.M. Anderson, J. Chu, J. Meredith, F. Asche, G. Sylvia, M.D. Smith, D. Anggraeni, R. Arthur, A. Guttormsen, J.K. McCluney, T. Ward, W. Akpalu, H. Eggert, J. Flores, M.A. Freeman, D.S. Holland, G. Knapp, M. Kobayashi, S. Larkin, K. MacLauchlin, K. Schnier, M. Soboil, S. Tveteras, H. Uchida, and D. Valderrama. 2015. The Fishery Performance Indicators: A management tool for triple bottom line outcomes. PLOS ONE 10(5): e0122809 (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122809)

    Contact Info

    Diego Valderrama
    Name
    Diego Valderrama
    Job Title
    Assistant Professor
    Undergraduate Program Advisor
    Marine Conservation, Natural Resource Economics, Sustainable Aquaculture
    Phone Number
    703-993-1029
    Office Number
    David King Hall, Room 3033, MSN 5F2