Economic analysis is well suited to inform protected resources management in marine and coastal environments. The purpose of this review is to provide a connection between the challenges facing managers of marine protected resources and specific forms of economic analysis that can help address them. We identify and illustrate several common protected resources management challenges including scarcity in conservation resources, scientific uncertainty, and designing policies to promote species conservation and recovery. We then survey relevant economic tools and identify opportunities for informing marine protected resources management. We conclude by discussing important considerations for applying economic analysis to inform marine protected resources management.