How many of you out there have formal education on Fisheries?
Hi Everyone,
In reading so many posts with some in many areas of knowledge, I was just curious how many of you out there studied fisheries or wildlife management for their undergrad or graduate degrees? Just like to get a sense of everyone's background and how you came to pursuing Native Trout. In talking with many people with this same interest, I found some of the most educated persons in fisheries hold degrees in another areas of biological science or natural history. Me personally, I have a B.S. in Geography from University of Oregon and although got accepted to Humboldt State to study fisheries for my M.S., I pursued another path and ended up getting an M.S. in Planning in Public Policy eventually working in Architecture & Planning. I still make Native Trout Fisheries a passionate hobby. How about the rest of you? Very curious. Don't post anything you don't feel comfortable sharing either.
Ned
I have my degree in
I have my degree in Environmental Science, while it is not an official fisheries degree, I did concentrate my studies on fisheries related studies. I did my capstone project for the degree studying variations in the behavior of two stocks of ESA listed Chinook and one stock of ESA listed Sockeye (Redfish Lake). I also spent time working with NOAA fisheries on their captive rearing program for the Redfish Lake sockeye. This program has been a big success and if it weren't for it, these fish would be extinct. This population had a year with a single male and three females returning, as well as some years with no returns at all. It received 800 fish last year and over 1300 this year. While by no means recovered, it is definitely on the right track. The economic climate is currently putting a damper on the job market in this field in Washington, but I am currently working as a Hatchery Technician at the University of Washington's research hatchery. I may think about going back to grad school in the next couple of years, but that is up in the air still.
Redfish Lake
I was a reporter in Idaho in 1995, and I have to say, I was sure those Redfish Lake sockeye were goners. Those numbers are amazing. You should be proud of being a part of it.
Nice Work Gary!
I remember reading about the Redfish Lake Sockeyes in my BioGeography class back in 1994 and they were in serious trouble and considered sure goners. Your hard work helped keep the pulse of that fishery going. Keep it up! You already have an impressive resume and you have accomplished quite a bit. By all means go get your M.S. in fisheries. I am kicking myself to this day I didn't take that path when I had the chance. UW has an excellent program and my father is good friends with the Dept. Chair. Only thing I did fisheries related in undergrad work was GIS mapping on the historical Bull Trout population distiribution on the McCloud River and current populations in the Willamette Basin. Now I just volunteer doing Coho Salmon studies with NPS biologists on some creeks just north of San Francisco and Bull Trout Restoration on the McCloud River but that is my long term project with USGS and USFWS. Thanks very much for sharing your background. You are one of the best Trout Audobons (if not the best) I have ever come across.
Ned
I have a Ph.D. in ecology and
I have a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology. Much of my dissertation focused on evolutionary theory as it related to the conservation of amphibians. But I have spent the last few years as a research associate at the University of Colorado Center of the American West writing a book about fisheries management--best described as a biography of rainbow trout.
It comes out in February. I'm sure you will all quickly get sick of me posting about it when the time comes, so I'll leave it at that for now.
Very cool Anders!
I can't wait to get a copy of your book when it comes out. Thanks so much for sharing your background. I would love to talk with you about the Trout vs. Frogs controversy in the Sierras here in CA. It's funny and rather sad I consistently find myself at TU meetings, local fly shops, etc..that I am the lone supporter for DFG halting all trout plants in the Sierra drainages that evolved devoid of Trout and are now established alien species. Trout are by nature voracious predators and have an impact on native amphibians. My belief is to restore waterways to it's most natural state if possible. Thanks again for sharing. I will await your anouncement on your book!
Ned
I wrote a chapter about this
I wrote a chapter about this issue in the book. I also posted some pics in one of my trip reports.
Stocking has been curtailed dramatically in the Sierras as you probably know. Partly for the sake of the mountain yellow-legged frog and other natives. Partly because evidence from people like Roland Knapp and others suggested many of the fisheries were self-sustaining and stocking was ineffective or even harmful to the fisheries (stunting).
The debate in the Sierras these days is more over whether and how to eliminate trout from certain lakes and drainages. Rotenone is a no-no in California (another interesting topic), so if you want to get rid of fish, you have to spend several years stringing gillnets all over the place and electrofishing inlets and outlets.
And that's just the logistics. The politics are far more difficult, as you can testify to. Fish and Game has to keep the names of the lakes in which they have removed fish secret, for fear of sabotage from the bucket brigade.
Anyway, I can chat away about that stuff all day. I hope you've made your views known to Fish and Game. I know they get an earful from people on the other side of the equation. A letter supporting their efforts would probably go a long way.