"How Hurricane Irma Affected the Seagull Populations of the Florida Keys: Evidence from beach front mahi mahi taco trucks"
Leftover food and associated trash often serve as a food source for seagull populations near popular beaches. The more food outlets, the more food thrown away, which means more food available for seagulls—thereby supporting a larger population. Using proprietary data, we instrument food availability by the number of mahi mahi trucks on Key West. We find that in anticipation of Hurricane Irma, the number of food trucks in Key West decreased by 73%, which we estimate caused a 12% decrease in the local seagull populations.