Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries are pleased to announce the 2023 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Seven population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and one marine resource economics fellowship will be awarded through this national program.
Since 1999, the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program has trained the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management. The program addresses the critical need for future fisheries scientists with expertise in stock assessment by supporting students pursuing doctoral degrees in related fields.
The field of population and ecosystem dynamics is vital to making high quality fishery stock assessments in order to properly manage U.S. fisheries. Fellows’ research focuses on modeling and managing systems of living marine resources, which includes quantitatively assessing the status of marine ecosystems, fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, seabirds and other targeted and protected species. The marine resource economics fellowship concentrates on economics related to the conservation and management of living marine resources.
Fellows are chosen through a competitive process that involves national review by an expert panel. The 2023 fellows are geographically diverse, attending universities in Massachusetts, Arizona, California, Washington, and Hawaii.
During their fellowship, fellows are guided by at least two mentors, one from the fellow’s university and one from NOAA Fisheries, and they are required to participate in a yearly research symposium.
This year’s NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship Research Symposium took place July 31-August 2 in Silver Spring, Maryland. During the symposium, fellows who have completed at least the first year of their fellowship presented updates on their research. The gathering also included a professional development workshop for fellows on science communication, resume building and career opportunities.
Since the fellowship began, it has supported over 120 population and ecosystem dynamics and 38 marine resource economics doctoral fellows. Alumni of this fellowship typically hold future positions in NOAA Fisheries, other agencies, academics and fishery management councils. To learn more about the field of fisheries management and how experiences like the NMFS-Sea Grant fellowships address the need for career development opportunities in this specialized field, see this report to Congress and this academic paper.
