Effective resource management based on interrelationships and interactions
Effective fisheries scientists of the future must have interdisciplinary training in marine science and ecology and apply that knowledge to efforts to sustain critical marine resources and the communities that depend on them. As a student in this concentration, you will gain experience in the scientific basis for fisheries management and how this is applied to commercial and recreational fisheries.
Management strategies are based on assessment of the condition of specific populations of fish or other aquatic organisms, and the capacity of those populations to withstand the impacts of human harvest. In addition, this field also addresses an increasing number of stakeholders whose interest in resource use and management may vary widely.
You will consider how management decisions impact both commercial and recreational activities and populations of marine life, and will work to develop strategies to promote the exchange of data and information between the various stakeholders involved the management process.
Related areas of study
- Population and community dynamics
- Oceanography and its impacts on resource productivity
- Impacts of fishing and other human activities on ecosystem quality
- Socioeconomic issues that drive marine policy development and management decision-making
Learning outcomes
- Understand the interrelationships and interactions of taxa within a biotic community
- Recognize the impacts of dynamic environmental conditions on target resources
- Recognize and assess the impact of policy decisions driven by socioeconomic and biological issues on the management system