Western Washington University, B.Sc. Environmental Science, Freshwater Ecology emphasis
I grew up in Dillingham, Alaska, surrounded by boats and fishing. I suppose it makes sense that fishing became my emphasis both in school at Western Washington University and in work. During the summers in college, I had the privilege of working with the USF&WS on a MR project located on the Togiak River in SW Alaska. After that formative experience in fisheries science, I’ve continued to seek employment and educational opportunities in Alaskan fisheries.
My thesis, “Spatiotemporal Assessment of Survey and Commercial Fishing Effort Relative to Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) Habitat in the Aleutian Islands”, addresses a potential sampling disconnect in an important Alaska groundfish species. I’m using spatial tools (GIS) to estimate potential habitat-specific sample biases, investigating differences in selectivity by gear type used to target Pacific cod, as well as seasonal and spatial differences in habitat. My goal is to provide information that would be useful in improving the current stock assessment methodology that currently places Aleutian Island cod in a Tier 5 level for harvesting purposes.
Collaborators: Suresh Sethi
Funding for this work is provided by the Pollock Conservation Cooperative via the Alaska Education Tax Credit Program.
