Personnel | Faculty | Students
MESAS Fellows
Rachael Blevins: PhD, Fisheries
reblevins@alaska.edu
Education:
B.S. Marine Science/Biology, University of Alabama 2009
Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
Research Interests: My interests include marine mammal conservation, bioacoustics, underwater noise pollution, population dynamics, and bycatch. I feel that sustainability is a crucial issue for marine ecosystems and that a shift towards ecosystem-based fishery management is necessary to ensure continued use of marine resources. For my PhD research, I will be conducting acoustic monitoring of beluga whales in the Cook Inlet.
Catherine "Cat" Chambers: PhD, Fisheries
cpchambers@alaska.edu
website
Education:
B.A. Environmental Science, Drake University 2004,
M.S. Zoology, Southern Illinois University 2008
Advisor: Courtney Carothers
Research Interests: My research focuses on exploring how individuals in the coastal fishing communities of Kodiak, Alaska and Skagaströnd, Iceland experience cultural, economic, and environmental changes. At a time when fisheries managers in many countries face complex obstacles such as climate change, over-fishing, and pollution, Alaska and Iceland are often hailed in the management literature as having two of the most sustainably-managed fisheries in the world. This fame is due partly to the adoption of individual quota-based fisheries management, which restricts access to fishing by privatizing the right to fish. However, this fundamental shift in fishery systems has brought about dramatic changes in coastal communities and small-scale fishing livelihoods. In terms of a holistic view of marine ecosystem sustainability, then, it is important to know how best to include social and economic considerations in management decisions. The goal for my research in both Alaska and Iceland is to understand individuals' perceptions of changes resulting from fisheries privatization in relation to other economic, environmental, and social changes facing coastal communities. Specifically, I want to understand what individuals identify as "changes," which changes they view as holding the most importance in their community, and how they make sense of and adapt to these changes. By using frameworks from anthropology, economics, and marine biology, I will contribute to a new and expanded understanding of the realities of individuals' lives in fishing-dependent communities, and the changes that take place in relatively short time frames.
Ellen Chenoweth: PhD, Fisheries
emchenoweth@uas.alaska.edu
Education:
BA Biology, Kalamazoo College 2008
Advisors: Megan McPhee, Shannon Atkinson
Research Interests: I am interested in energetics and foraging behavior of marine predators with a focus on humpback whales. Currently, I am collaborating with salmon hatcheries and release sites in Southeast Alaska to understand targeted humpback whale predation on fry and smolts released from these facilities. I will use acoustics, tissue sampling, photographic identification, and tagging to develop a release strategy that mitigates humpback whale predation in the first few days after a release. I am also interested in science education at all levels.
Lauren Divine: PhD, Marine Biology
lmdivine@alaska.edu
Education:
B.S. Wildlife & Fisheries, Texas A&M University 2007
M.S. Biology, Georgia Southern University 2010
Advisor: Katrin Iken
Research Interests: My research interests include wildlife management, marine and freshwater fisheries, and benthic invertebrate ecology. I am particularly interested in conducting collaborative research in social and biological sciences in order to address critical questions of sustainable ecosystem-based management. For my PhD research, I will investigate the impacts of climate-change induced temperature increases on the energy flow and food web structure of subarctic and Arctic benthic communities. Recent evidence suggests Arctic benthic communities will be invaded by subarctic and temperate species as global sea surface temperatures continue to increase. The expected quantitative and nutritional changes in the food sources (ice algae, phytoplankton) due to environmental changes in the Arctic will influence important infauna species, which in turn are food for higher trophic levels. I plan on investigating how food webs and energy flow are affected by these climatic changes, using natural collections as well as experimental methods, and employing analytical methods such as C:N ratios and calorimetry, stable isotope measurements, fatty acid analysis and possibly compound-specific stable isotope analysis. I also plan to incorporate the dietary preferences of important benthic consumers, such as the snow crab, Chionocetes opilio, which shows increased abundances on the Pacific Arctic shelves and may become a species of interest for subsistence or commercial harvest in the near future.
Thomas Farrugia: PhD, Fisheries
tjfarrugia@alaska.edu
website
Education:
B.S. Biology, McGill University 2005,
M.S. Marine Biology, California State University Long Beach 2010
Advisor: Andy Seitz
Research Interests: I am interested in movement patterns and population structures of exploited populations and how they are influenced by environmental factors. Relating this to fisheries and how modern and traditional fishers find their catch will optimize stock assessments and make regulations more efficient. Specifically, I will be working with elasmobranchs, both as bycatch and target species, including the new directed fishery for big (Raja binoculata) and longnose skates (Raja rhina) in Prince Williams Sound.
Jessica Glass: PhD, Fisheries
jrglass@alaska.edu
Education:
B.S. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University 2010
Advisor: Gordon Kruse
Research Interests: My interests incorporate the effects of climate change on marine fishes, the genetic and evolutionary foundations behind variations in fish population structure, as well as ecosystem-based management. I am also interested in community outreach and finding ways to effectively communicate scientific results on global fisheries to the public. My research will focus on quantifying the spatio-temporal variability and species composition of benthic communities living on Alaskan weathervane scallop beds. Using observer bycatch data from scallop fishing vessels, I will relate variability to climatic, sedimentary, oceanographic and anthropogenic variables. My findings will be useful to scientists, fishermen and environmental organizations, and will help facilitate ecosystem-based management by providing valuable data on benthic community structure in Alaska and how these ecosystems react to change (e.g. climate change and fishing effort).
Alexis Hall: PhD, Fisheries
amhall4@alaska.edu
Education:
B.S. Environmental Science, Technology and Policy, California State University Monterey Bay 2009
Advisor: Gordon Kruse
Research Interests: I am interested in ecosystem-based management with special attention to interactions with groundfish species and their habitats. I use tools, such as GIS, multivariate statistics, and EcoSim, which will allow for both quantitative estimation and visualization of relationships among biotic, abiotic, and human interactions, thereby fostering an ecosystem-based approach to management. My research project focuses on the relationship among groundfish, different crab species and trawling in the eastern Bering Sea; more specifically, whether trawling favors groundfish feeding success on prey items shared with crab species. Other research interests would be anthropogenic influences in marine communities, resource management, and time series analysis.
Courtney Lyons: PhD, Fisheries
cdlyons@alaska.edu
Education:
B.S. Biology, Seattle Pacific University 2002,
M.S. Environmental Science, Alaska Pacific University 2006
Advisors: Ginny Eckert & Courtney Carothers
Research Interests: My research focuses on social-ecological systems and how they respond to proposed management scenarios. Currently, I am using Bering Sea crab fisheries as a case study and analyzing the rebuilding options for Pribilof Island blue king crab. I use an interdisciplinary approach, collecting social, cultural and historical data through interviews and archival research, as well as, data on ecological, habitat, and predator-prey interactions through field or laboratory experiments. The results of these studies allow me to map relationships in a social-ecological system and, using qualitative modeling (loop analysis), to make predictions based on changes in different aspects of the system.
Liza Mack: PhD, Indigenous Studies
lmack2@alaska.edu
Education:
BA Anthropology, Idaho State University 2005
MS Anthropology, Idaho State University 2009
Advisor: Courtney Carothers
Research Interests: I would like to study land claim and fisheries rights issues in Native communities with people ages 25-40. I would like to understand the amount of knowledge that is being passed on from one generation to the next and the possible affect these policies may have on future generations of Native people.
Melissa Meiner-Johnson: PhD, Oceanography
majohnson16@alaska.edu
Education:
B.S. Geology, University of Hawaii at Hilo 2008,
B.A. Marine Science, University of Hawaii at Hilo 2008
Advisor: Jennifer Reynolds
Research Interests: I am very interested in helping find a balance between the human dependence on the ocean and conservation of marine communities through the creation of benthic habitat maps. In order to get a comprehensive knowledge base of the groundfish communities, my project will incorporate geological, physical, and biological oceanographic data, as well as information collected by interacting with the local fisherman and native people. I have learned from living in Hawai‘i that the indigenous people have an understanding of the ecology and the local marine communities that is invaluable; therefore, the social aspect of my project is key to understanding what the groundfish community is like on a local level. The finished maps will provide detailed information for fisheries management to make more informed decisions based on population size and distribution of fish communities. Habitat maps may also provide a means to manage invasive species and/or help see changes in community structure due to climate change, geologic forces, or anthropogenic impacts such as bottom trawling.
Megan Peterson: PhD, Fisheries
mjpeterson6@alaska.edu
website
Education:
B.A. International Relations, University of California Davis 2002,
M.S. Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institute of Oceanography 2007
Advisors: Franz Mueter, Courtney Carothers
Research Interests: My research will focus on killer whale depredation on Alaskan longline fisheries and its effects on fishery/mammal stock management. I will specifically be investigating trends in depredation rates and locations. I am interested in the impacts that killer whale depredation has on the Alaskan fishing economy in the form of damaged gear, wait times, loss of catch and fishery closures/management. I am also interested in learning about the social/age structures of depredating whales. Additional research interests include ecosystem-based management, bycatch, trophic interactions, marine mammal behavior and conservation.
Suzie Teerlink: PhD, Marine Biology
s.teerlink@alaska.edu
Education:
B.S. Marine Biology, University of Alaska, Southeast 2007
M.S. Fisheries, University of Alaska Fairbanks 2011
Advisor:Lara Dehn
Research Interests: My research will work to develop a comprehensive Juneau-area humpback whale study that looks at the effect of increasing whales on ecologic, economic, and social levels. This study would work to 1) collect important baseline data on this population, 2) serve as a platform for more directed research on species and ecosystem level questions, and 3) bridge the gap of science and public education by developing a strong community outreach, tourist education, and citizen science program.
Ben Williams: PhD, Fisheries
bcwilliams2@alaska.edu
Education:
BS Natural Resources & Fisheries, Ohio State University 1996
MS Fisheries, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2003
Advisor:Gordon Kruse
Research Interests: I am interested in fisheries population dynamics and how they are influenced by environmental factors. I will be working on a comparative study of the reproductive biology of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Basin/Bogoslof Island, and eastern Bering Sea in association with population density (fishing), and climate and oceanographic factors. This work will involve examinations of ovaries and ask questions about fecundity, timing of maturation, size of maturity, etc., and how they vary with population density and environmental factors, and their potential impacts on management strategies. This work will be conducted in collaboration with NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center.
MESAS Associates
Students who participate fully in the program with alternate funding are MESAS Associates. Participants in the SELMR (Sustainable ecosystem-Based Management of Living Marine Resources) Science Masters Program at UAF are MESAS Associates; their profiles can be found at: http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/selmr/students.php.