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SESSION 4

EcosystemsChair: Anne Hollowed

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Photo credit: iStock/Casarsa Guru

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Anne HollowedNOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Reflections on the journey from fisheries oceanography to ecosystem based fishery management

ABSTRACT: This talk will trace the evolution of fisheries science over the last 30 years and will consider the challenges for sustaining future fisheries under changing climate. Research partnerships between SAFS and government agencies have facilitated the rapid uptake of scientific innovation into fisheries management. Ecosystem-linked assessments and climate- enhanced projection models provide managers with improved scientific advice. As the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems intensifies, expanded partnerships that address global trade-offs in marine resource use within an ecosystem-based fishery management framework are needed. This will require the formation of interdisciplinary research teams to fully evaluate strategies to address global challenges to food security, jobs, and preservation of life under the sea.

BIO: Anne Hollowed is a Senior Scientist with the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. She conducts research on the effects of climate and ecosystem change on fish and fisheries and leads the Status of Stocks and Multispecies Assessment program. She earned a PhD from SAFS in 1990 and serves as an Affiliate Professor with her alma mater.

Photo courtesy of Anne Hollowed

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Vera Agostini Fish and Aquaculture Department, FAO

Implementing EBFM— challenges and opportunities

ABSTRACT: Together with a number of partners, FAO has dedicated substantial effort over the years to promote the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAF/EAA) among its member countries across the world. One of the key outcomes of this work has been the development of EAF/EAA management plans and capacity development initiatives for national and regional administrations on their development and implementation in over 50 fisheries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. We will reflect on lessons learned, and summarize challenges and opportunities that inform implementation of EBFM going forward.

BIO: Vera Agostini is Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), providing oversight, strategic leadership, and technical support to FAO’s Fisheries and Aqua-culture Division. From 2007–2017, Vera was with The Nature Conservancy, initially as Senior Scientist with the Global Oceans Team, and more recently, as Director of both Conservation and Climate Adaptation. Vera, a fisheries scientist by training, has held positions across three sectors (non-governmental, government, and academia/educational), providing technical and strategic leadership across a range of multidisciplinary efforts around the globe.

Photo courtesy of Vera Agostini

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Photo courtesy of Kirstin Holsman

Kirstin HolsmanNOAA Alaska Fisheries Research Center

Illuminating pathways of resilience through integrated modeling

ABSTRACT: It is now widely understood that the world’s oceans, which have absorbed ~90% of the excess heat since 1950 and ~25% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, will inevitably continue to change. Coastal communities and marine fisheries, which have coevolved with marine ecosystems over millennia, will need to adapt to novel challenges and conditions. While adaptation and resiliency are not new to coastal societies that have long flourished despite environmental variability, the question of unforeseen limits to adaptation remain pressing and largely unanswered. I will highlight a few of the multiple collaborative efforts underway that are modeling coupled physical, biological, and socioeconomic coastal systems to evaluate adaptive measures, pathways, and limits.

BIO: Kirstin Holsman’s research is focused on the development of quantitative methods for ecosystem-based fisheries management and methods to assess and manage for climate change impacts on fish and fishing communities. This includes collaborations to develop and implement climate-specific stock assessment models, Integrated Ecosystem Assessments, bioenergetics and food-web models, and field studies of climate and fishery effects on marine ecosystems. Kirstin is a SAFS graduate.

Lorenzo CiannelliOregon State University

Life history spatial and temporal constraints and adaptability to climate change

ABSTRACT: Marine species respond and adapt to climate change by shifting their spatial distribution. There are, however, limits to these changes, imposed by the presence of essential habitats and by the timing of life cycle events. I will discuss these boundary responses and the analytical approaches that can characterize potential bottlenecks affecting spatial distribution and timing of life cycle events. Through these analyses, we build the capacity to study species’ adaptability to climate change.

BIO: Lorenzo Ciannelli is a Professor in Fisheries Oceanography at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. In 1992, he received his BS in Biology at the University of Naples, Federico II, Italy, and, in 2002, his PhD in Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at UW. Lorenzo currently advises five graduate students, one research associate, and one undergraduate student. He is married to Meta Landys and they have three children. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and the outdoors.

Photo courtesy of Lorenzo Ciannelli

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Mary RuckelshausThe Natural Capital Project Stanford University

Managing multiple ecosystem objectives in coastal regions

ABSTRACT: Awareness of human dependence on nature is at an all-time high, the science of eco-system services is rapidly advancing, and talk of natural capital is now common from governments to boardrooms. Here, I illustrate paths through which ecosystem service information is moving beyond ideas to action in coastal zones through: 1) providing evidence linking decisions to impacts on natural capital and fisheries; 2) co-developing with decision makers the tools and practices needed for everyday decision-making; and 3) reforming institutions, policy, and practices. Examples illustrate how decision makers can benefit from identifying communities at greatest risk and high-light effective strategies for harmonizing fisheries.

BIO: Mary Ruckelshaus is Managing Director of The Natural Capital Project and a Senior Research Associate at Stanford University. Mary previously led the Ecosystem Science Program at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at The Florida State University. She serves on the Science Council of The Nature Conservancy, has been a lead author and reviewer for the 2013 and 2017 US National Climate Assessments, and is a past Chair of the Science Advisory Board of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Mary has a BS from Stanford University and an MS in Fisheries and a PhD in Botany from the UW.

Daniel SchindlerSAFS

Biocomplexity: the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of aquatic landscapes

ABSTRACT: Biocomplexity refers to the coupled system of physical and chemical variation across landscapes and the associated assortment of local ecological responses and evolutionary adaptations. This bio-physical complexity evolves through time in response to changing environmental forcing and the diversity of biological responses. Landscapes retain functioning across a range of environmental conditions because of their complementary dynamics. While this complexity has mostly been appreciated for salmon ecosystems, modern genetics reveals that similar processes must also be important for a variety of freshwater and marine species whose ecology is more obscure.

BIO: Daniel Schindler is a Professor in SAFS and a principal investigator of the Alaska Salmon Program (ASP). His research is focused on freshwater ecosystems and their watersheds, addressing questions ranging from understanding basic ecological and evolutionary processes to the effects of climate change, watershed development, and fisheries on ecological dynamics. He has received the Frank Rigler Award from the Society of Canadian Limnologists and the Carl R. Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award to the ASP from the American Fisheries Society. Daniel was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2018.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Schindler

Photo courtesy of Mary Ruckelshaus

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Edward AllisonUW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs

Climate change impacts and responses in coastal communities

ABSTRACT: Coastal communities confront global environmental change through multiple pathways, yet research is focused either on how changes to fisheries will affect fisherfolk or on how sea-level rise and storms will affect coastal residents. I set out a framework for assessing how these risks can be contextualized, understood, planned for, and acted upon. Adapting lessons from past adaptations and combining them with evolving opportunities for technological and social change will be needed to maintain coastal community resilience. Climate-induced produc-tivity changes and range shifts in fish will play only a minor part in the adaptive success—or failure—of most coastal communities.

BIO: Before coming to UW six years ago, Eddie Allison worked for the UK Department for International Development, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and WorldFish, as well as in the School of International Development at the University of East Anglia. Through field- and policy work in Africa, S and SE Asia, the Pacific and South America, his main goal is to ensure fisheries are included in some of the major international policy concerns of our time: food security, nutrition, and health; trade and global-ization; conservation and human development; poverty, inequality, and human rights; and climate change impacts and adaptation.

John FieldNOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Rockfish recruitment processes and ecosystem studies in the California Current

ABSTRACT: Since 1983, the Southwest Fisheries Science Center has conducted a midwater trawl survey, targeting pelagic juvenile rockfish off Central California, and since 2001, joint efforts with the NWFSC have collected coastwide data. The survey was initiated to inform recruitment estimates in stock assessments and to better understand the oceanographic drivers of variable recruitment. The survey has also been used in concert with data on the diets, distribution, and reproductive success of predators such as salmon, seabirds, and marine mammals. This talk will highlight how the survey has advanced our understanding of both the oceanographic drivers and the population and ecosystem consequences of highly variable recruitment in West Coast rockfish.

BIO: John Field grew up in Santa Cruz, California. He completed his undergraduate degree at University of California Santa Cruz in 1994 and his PhD at SAFS in 2004. He has worked for the Southwest Fisheries Science Center since 2003 and currently leads the center’s Groundfish Analysis Team, which develops stock assess-ments and conducts research to support West Coast groundfish management. He has supported the Pacific Fishery Management Council in a variety of roles and currently chairs its Scientific and Statistical Committee.

Photo courtesy of John Field

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Photo credit: UW College of the Environment

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Christine StawitzNOAA Science and Technology Division

Detecting climate signals in noisy data

ABSTRACT: Understanding how climate affects fish life history processes helps us develop climate-ready fishery management tools. However, our largest data source, fishery- dependent and -independent data, is rarely collected with the intent to detect environmental signals on fish life history. Environmental effects on somatic growth may be detected from size-at-age data, but these data also integrate the effects of spatial and methodological changes in sampling over time. I will discuss how I have attempted to separate the life history “signal” from the sampling “noise,” focusing on examining data from multiple data sources and species at different scales to possibly reduce the chances of spurious environmental correlations.

BIO: Christine Stawitz received her PhD in 2017; her dissertation research, under the advisement of Tim Essington, focused on detecting variation in somatic growth of marine groundfish and evaluating how this variation affects population dynamics models. She then completed a post-doc at SAFS and NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, developing an individual-based model for Bering Sea snow crab. Currently, Christine works in support of NOAA’s Science and Technology Division. She develops fishery stock assessment models and supporting tools for stock assessment scientists.

Photo courtesy of Christine Stawitz

Grant AdamsSAFS

Accounting for species interactions when defining biological reference points

ABSTRACT: There is interest in accounting for potential trade-offs between multiple interacting species when determining the biological reference points that define stock status and are used to apply harvest control rules to achieve ecosystem based fisheries management. Multispecies statistical catch-at-age models (MSCAA) are a tool to define biological reference points and explicitly account for both the impacts of fishing and species interactions. I illustrate the trade-offs of a suite of biological references points at achieving management goals using an MSCAA developed for groundfish stocks in Alaska.

BIO: Grant Adams is a PhD student at SAFS who is developing a multispecies statistical catch-at-age model for groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska. He earned a BSc in Biology from Denison University and an MS in Coastal Sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied the ecology and dynamics of Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) and Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus). Between his undergrad and master’s, Grant served in the Peace Corps as a community-based environ-mental management volunteer in the Central Andes of Peru and as a research assistant with the Instituto del Mar del Peru.

Photo courtesy of Grant Adams

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Photo credit: UW College of the Environment

David FluhartyUW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs

Panelist

BIO: David Fluharty’s studies and contributions on marine resource management and policy, particularly on ecosystem-based approaches, have earned him multiple honors and a distinguished career in public and academic service. Dave has chaired numerous boards and committees, including NOAA’s Science Advisory Board, NOAA’s External Ecosystem Task Team, and the NMFS Ecosystem Principles Advisory Panel. He served for nine years as a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and chaired its Ecosystem Committee, where he continues to serve as a member. In addition, he has served as a marine policy consultant from West Africa to the Yellow Sea.

Caitlin Allen AkselrudSAFS

Forage fish complex management in a changing climate

ABSTRACT: Many forage fish species go through boom-and-bust cycles of abundance on short time scales. Such cycles are likely to change in the face of a changing climate. With ecosystem and single-species changes, can management find ways to buffer fishers and fishing communities against the volatile changes in the abundance of forage fish species? Currently, some fishers create portfolios of target forage species, among which they are able to switch, reducing their risk of an income-poor year. Management strategies that foster multispecies management and enable fishers to buffer risk by fishing across multiple forage fish, may provide a more stable future for fishers.

BIO: Caitlin Allen Akselrud is a PhD student at SAFS, working on population assessments and management strategies for coastal pelagic forage fish in the California Current, including market squid, sardine, and anchovy. She has a biology degree from the University of California, San Diego, with a focus in the marine sciences from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She finished her MS research in spring 2017 at SAFS, working on population assessments for Bering Sea Tanner crab and Pacific cod. She began her PhD program in summer 2017, co-advised by Trevor Branch and André Punt.

Photo courtesy of Caitlin Allen Akselrud

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PANEL DISCUSSION

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Kerim AydinNOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Panelist

BIO: Kerim Aydin began graduate school at SAFS with Bob Francis in 1994, working for Kate Myers of the High Seas Salmon Project. His research focus was on factors mediating the growth conditions of Pacific salmon in the open ocean, including field work (diet sampling), bioenergetics modeling, and food web modeling. Kerim received a PhD from SAFS in 2000, and is now a modeler and supervisor at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle and Co-chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Team, focusing on the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management in Alaska.

Photo courtesy of Kerim Aydin

Philip LevinUW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences & The Nature Conservancy

Panelist

BIO: Phillip Levin is a Professor of Practice at the UW and the Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Washington. In this unique position, his objective is the integration of academic scholarship with practical experience. Phil is a conservation scientist, who is interested in bridging the gaps between theory and practice and between social and natural sciences. The main focus of his current work is developing interdisciplinary tools to inform conservation of marine, aquatic, and terrestrial ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Prior to joining TNC/UW, Phil was a Senior Scientist at NOAA Fisheries in Seattle.

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Photo courtesy of Philip Levin

Photo credit, top: iStock/stevehullphotography

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SESSION 5

THE FUTURE OF Aquatic and Fishery SciencesChair: Ray Hilborn

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Photo credit: iStock/sarkophoto

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Ray HilbornSAFS

BIO: Ray Hilborn is a Professor in SAFS, specializing in natural resource management and conservation. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in food sustainability, conservation, and quantitative population dynamics. Ray has authored several books, including Overfishing: What Everyone Needs to Know, with Ulrike Hilborn in 2012; Quantitative Fisheries Stock Assessment, with Carl Walters in 1992; and The Ecological Detective: Confronting Models with Data, with Marc Mangel in 1997. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles. Ray has received the Volvo Environmental Prize, the American Fisheries Society’s Award of Excellence, The Ecological Society of America’s Sustainability Science Award, and the International Fisheries Science Prize.

Photo courtesy of Yaamini Venkataraman

Yaamini VenkataramanSAFS

Multidimensional training for multidimensional graduate students: better preparing tomorrow’s leaders

ABSTRACT: To conduct world-class research, leaders in our field must be effective commu-nicators, supervise diverse teams, and manage several projects simultaneously. SAFS prepares students to conduct rigorous scientific inquiry, and graduate students create opportunities for professional development. Students organize research symposia and community events and push the School to be more equitable and inclusive. However, they may not be supported to develop these skills, as these involvements can be framed as detracting from research. More SAFS-sponsored professional development opportunities will enable students to obtain the skills necessary for the future workforce and maintain the School’s reputation as producing forward-thinking, capable leaders.

BIO: Yaamini Venkataraman is a graduate student in the Roberts Lab in SAFS. A California native, she credits volunteering at the Monterey Bay Aquarium with her interest in marine science. She earned dual degrees (BS, Biology and BA, Environmental Policy) at the University of California, San Diego in 2016. Yaamini studies the role of epigenetic mechanisms in shellfish response to ocean acidification across generations and is President of SAFS graduate student organization, Fisheries Interdisciplinary Network of Students (FINS).

Photo courtesy of Ray Hilborn

INTRODUCTION

Chair Ray Hilborn

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Kerry NaishSAFS

We can adaptively manage fish populations; can we adaptively manage SAFS?

Raymond BuckleySAFS

Back to the fishes: fish biologists, recreational fisheries, and prevailing ecology in Washington

ABSTRACT: Recreational fisheries in Washington deserve more recognition at SAFS. They con-tribute to the quality of life and generate $424 million in net economic values, compared to $38 million for non-tribal commercial fisheries. Washington’s 1,150,310 resident anglers face increasing constraints and missed opportunities due to management agency decisions, harvest restrictions, and changing environmental con-ditions. Fish biologists developing management plans that impact recreational fisheries need a foundation in the life histories of Washington fishes under the local prevailing ecology. The relevance of the SAFS program to the needs of Washington recreational fisheries is discussed. Recommendations are proposed that will increase education in practical and applied recreational fishery management at SAFS.

BIO: Raymond Buckley has been an Affiliate Assistant Professor in SAFS for 39 years. He earned his PhD, MS, and BS at SAFS. Ray specialized in recreational fishery management and enhancement research for 45 years at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, retiring in 2008 as Senior Research Scientist. He is an avid recreational angler, has fished extensively in Washington, the south Pacific, and the Indian Ocean, and he co-authored Saltwater Fishing in Washington.

Photo credit: Kristin Buckley

Photo credit: Marine Brieuc

ABSTRACT: Given the School’s central role in the innovation and transmission of knowledge across interrelated disciplines, the onus is on us to be proactive about emerging needs. Given the global scale of the issues we tackle, how broad should our community be? How do we anticipate the emerging scientific questions, and how might we prepare our students for rapidly changing professional environments? Here, I suggest some ways in which we might enhance our portfolio by embracing new opportunities. Adaptive manage- ment of our program requires that we step outside traditional notions of faculty careers and educational models and enhance collaborative efforts that promote our institutional missions.

BIO: Kerry Naish is a Professor in SAFS and Director of the College’s Marine Biology Program. She works in evolutionary and conservation genomics, studying population responses to environmental change in aquatic species and informing conservation actions. Her current research in Pacific salmonids is aimed at elucidating the dynamics of disease resistance in wild and supplemented populations, exploring the use of gene flow in preventing divergence in supportive breeding programs, and describing eco-evolutionary processes governing recruitment in natural systems. She is also investigating effective restoration strategies in eelgrass.

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Isabel TinocoMuckleshoot Indian Tribe

A tribal government fisheries team perspective

ABSTRACT: The 1974 Boldt Decision affirmed the 1850s treaties with the US government and provided the Tribes’ right to take 50% of the harvestable resource, established co-manage-ment authority, and required tribes to build technical capacity to manage and regulate harvest. This talk will focus on the current challenges faced by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, whose homeland encompasses the state’s most populous and urbanized watersheds, where the function and capacity of fish habitat is lost faster than it can be possibly restored. Our task is to provide support to the Tribal Government to achieve sustainable harvest. This talk will summarize our priorities and challenges and offer suggestions for the role SAFS can play.

BIO: Isabel Tinoco has been Fisheries Director for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe since 1992. She supervises, plans, and coordinates the manage-ment of the Tribe’s resources, including artificial production, habitat protection, and regulation enforcement. Isabel grew up in Venezuela and moved to Seattle in 1975. She earned a BS in Fisheries in 1978. As Venezuela’s Fisheries Director from 1978 to 1988, she was responsible for managing resources and representing the country’s fishing interests in several inter-national fisheries organizations and bilateral negotiations. In 1993, she earned a Master’s in Marine Affairs from the UW.

Kelly SusewindWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife

A state government perspective

ABSTRACT: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s mandate is to preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage the wildlife and food fish, game fish, and shellfish of Washington. It is a challenging responsibility, and one that we can only achieve through our co-management responsibilities with the tribes, and with the support of local, state, and federal governments in providing the clean water and natural environ-ment that we, and our fish, have long treasured in the Pacific Northwest. The next generation of leaders need not only technical expertise, but the ability to work collaboratively to find innovative solutions to maintain the natural environment that makes Washington a great place to live.

BIO: Kelly Susewind joined the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as Director in August 2018, after spending 28 years at the Washington Department of Ecology. Susewind grew up in Aberdeen and graduated from Grays Harbor College with an associate’s degree in Engineering before receiving his bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from Washington State University. A lifelong outdoorsman and longtime resident of Washington, Susewind oversees 1,800 employees working with communities throughout the state.

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Photo courtesy of Isabel Tinoco

Photo courtesy of Kelly Susewind

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Kevin WernerNOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Future of science at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

ABSTRACT: The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) has a long history of doing valuable research to inform management of West Coast fisheries and marine protected resources. As the world confronts more rapid environmental changes, changes in demand for natural resources, and increasing technological and scientific capabil-ities, what does this mean for NWFSC science?

BIO: Kevin Werner has extensive experience connecting science to application in water resources and climate in the western United States, as well as with policy and organizational development. In May 2017, Kevin was named Science and Research Director at the NWFSC, where he leads a team of over 400 scientists and support staff to deliver management-relevant science to resource managers and stakeholders. Previously, Kevin held positions spanning the NOAA mission, including leading the creation of the National Weather Service Office of Organizational Excellence, leading NOAA regional climate services in the western US, connecting science and forecasts to water management in the Colorado River Basin, and infusing new science and technology into river forecast methodologies. Kevin also served as the Science Advisor for President Obama’s Sandy Rebuilding Task Force in 2013. Kevin holds degrees in atmospheric science, mathematics, public administration, and political science.

Robert FoyNOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center

A long history and future collaborations between the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the UW School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences

ABSTRACT: Collaborations with the UW School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences have supported the NOAA Fisheries mission to maintain healthy marine ecosystems and sustainable fisheries management in Alaska. Future academic research needs will include advancements in quantitative analyses supporting multispecies stock assessments, technological advancements in fisheries monitoring, and innovations in measuring biological responses to climate change.

BIO: Robert Foy is the Science and Research Director of the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center. He received a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan and an MS in Fisheries and a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Alaska. He has spent over 20 years working on marine biological and ecological research and 10 years working on stock assessment and fisheries management in Alaska.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Werner

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Photo courtesy of Robert Foy

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Mary RuckelshausThe Natural Capital Project Stanford University

A multi-stakeholder perspective on the future of aquatic and fishery sciences

ABSTRACT: Civil society and government actors often intersect in coastal zone management decision processes, but lack common language and skills to interact productively. Assessing and managing fisheries that touch coastal zones increasingly demand multi-objective analytical frameworks. If NGO, government, and other stakeholders of coastal marine systems are trained in structured approaches to decision- making, they will be better equipped to enhance the quality of fisheries decisions and their environmental and social outcomes.

BIO: Mary Ruckelshaus is Managing Director of The Natural Capital Project and a Senior Research Associate at Stanford University. Mary previously led the Ecosystem Science Program at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Professor of biological sciences at The Florida State University. She serves on the Science Council of The Nature Conservancy, has been a lead author and reviewer for the 2013 and 2017 US National Climate Assessments, and is a past Chair of the Science Advisory Board of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Mary has a BS from Stanford University and an MS in Fisheries and a PhD in Botany from the UW.

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Photo courtesy of Mary Ruckelshaus

Photo courtesy of Vera Agostini

Vera Agostini Fish and Aquaculture Department, FAO

Challenges and opportunities for fisheries in the 21st century: a global perspective

ABSTRACT: Fisheries are at an important cross-road. On the one hand, they make a crucial and growing contribution to food, nutrition, and livelihood security. On the other hand, despite significant successes, the proportion of marine fish stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels continues to decline, especially in least developed regions. It is clear that the way society perceives and uses capture fisheries has dramatically changed over the last decade. Drawing from FAO’s work, this presentation will address questions such as: What do we expect from fisheries in this changing environment? How do we reconcile inclusive socioeconomic development, consumer, and value-chain demands with the need to sustain resources and conserve ecosystems and biodiversity?

BIO: Vera Agostini is Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), providing oversight, strategic leadership, and technical support to FAO’s Fisheries and Aqua-culture Division. From 2007 to 2017, Vera was with The Nature Conservancy, initially as Senior Scientist with the Global Oceans Team and then, as Director of both Conservation and Climate Adaptation. Vera has held positions across three sectors (non-governmental, government, and academia/educational), providing technical and strategic leadership across a range of multidisciplinary efforts around the globe.

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Glenn ReedPacific Seafood Processors Association

The seafood industry in the near term—the next 5-10 years

ABSTRACT: The relationship between the Alaskan seafood industry and UW Fisheries dates back to the origins of FRI in 1946 and before. Every season and every year present new challenges and opportunities. We experienced the most abundant return in 130 years in Bristol Bay in 2018, while other systems in Alaska experienced such low escapement that no fishery was opened. In Bering Sea federal waters, we have decades-long high levels of abundance and harvest, limited by a 30-year-old harvest “cap” of two million metric tons. That’s the past; what does the future hold for the seafood industry, UW, and our relationship?

BIO: Glenn Reed is the President of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA). It is a nonprofit seafood industry trade association whose members are major seafood processing companies with operations in Alaska and Washington. PSPA is even older than SAFS, having been founded in 1914. Glenn began as President of PSPA in 1999; he had previously served as Deputy Commissioner for Commerce and Economic Development of the State of Alaska and as Executive Director of the North Pacific Seafood Coalition.

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Photo courtesy of Glenn Reed

Photo credit: Chaman Sond

Rita ColwellUniversity of Maryland at College Park

Chance favors the prepared mind: marine microbiology to cholera prediction and prevention

ABSTRACT: A thorough grounding in marine microbiology and intense study of vibrios inhabiting the gut of marine animals provided the basis for understanding cholera, a disease that remains epidemic and life threatening. The first computer program to identify marine bacteria was developed at the UW, and the path to metagenomics of Vibrio cholerae and related enterics was born. Today, mathematical models, satellite sensors, and metagenomics provide a powerful predictive capacity for preemptive strike against cholera around the world. This history will be described, including current successes in Africa and applica-tions of next generation sequencing coupled with bioinformatics to detect, identify, and characterize bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists rapidly, accurately, and actionably.

BIO: Rita Colwell is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and President of CosmosID, Inc. Her interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health. She served as the 11th Director of the National Science Foundation and Co-chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. Rita has been awarded 63 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education and is the recipient of the 2006 National Medal of Science, 2010 Stockholm Water Prize, and 2018 Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize of Singapore.

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James ParsonsCooke Aquaculture Pacific

The role of SAFS in informing the future of US aquaculture

ABSTRACT: US aquaculture faces numerous challenges both locally and nationally. SAFS is uniquely positioned to provide the scientific background necessary for sustainable growth in US aquaculture. The nature and extent of this scientific guidance in specific areas that will aid US aquaculture is discussed.

BIO: James (Jim) Parsons is the General Manager for Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, overseeing farming operations throughout Washington State. Jim has been directly involved in commercial aquaculture operations for 40 years. His background in aquaculture dates to 1977, with roles in genetics and research and development at numerous companies, including Weyerhaeuser, Clear Springs Foods, Blue Lakes Trout Farms, Inc., and as an owner/partner in Troutlodge, Inc. He currently serves as President of the National Aquaculture Association.

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Tim EssingtonSAFS

BIO: Tim Essington is a Professor at SAFS, where he teaches quantitative ecology and fisheries conservation. He first became acquainted with SAFS when he visited for a quarter during graduate school. Seven years later, he was hired as an Assistant Professor and he has no plans to ever leave.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderator Tim Essington

Photo credit: UW College of the Environment

Photo courtesy of Jim Parsons

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Julia ParrishSAFS

BIO: Julia Parrish is a Lowell A. and Frankie L. Wakefield Professor of Ocean Fishery Sciences, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of the Environment. A specialist in citizen science, Julia is also the Executive Director of the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a 20-year-old, hands-on citizen science program responsible for training ~5,000 coastal residents in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to collect monthly data on beach-cast birds and marine debris. COASST data have been used to assess the impacts of oil spills, harmful algal blooms, fishery bycatch, and a changing climate.

Photo credit: Benj Drummond Photo courtesy of Ray Hilborn

CLOSING PRESENTATIONS

Ray HilbornSAFS

BIO: Ray Hilborn is a Professor in SAFS, specializing in natural resource management and conservation. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in food sustainability, conservation, and quantitative population dynamics. Ray has authored several books, including Overfishing: What Everyone Needs to Know, with Ulrike Hilborn in 2012; Quantitative Fisheries Stock Assessment, with Carl Walters in 1992; and The Ecological Detective: Confronting Models with Data, with Marc Mangel in 1997. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles. Ray has received the Volvo Environmental Prize, the American Fisheries Society’s Award of Excellence, The Ecological Society of Americas Sustainability Science Award, and the International Fisheries Science Prize.