Fisheries Oceanography

The School for Marine Science & Technology's (SMAST) Department of Fisheries Oceanography (DFO) delivers quality education and conducts cutting-edge research in the interdisciplinary sciences related to the interactions between marine organisms and the marine environment.

The DFO's primary purpose is to train scientists in the techniques and theory of fisheries oceanography, with emphasis on stock assessment, population dynamics, physical and biological interaction and ecosystem modeling. Both MS and PhD programs address the growing need for marine scientists in federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and industry.

Research approaches

Research approaches employed include field exploration, laboratory experiments, theoretical research and modeling. DFO students are fully involved in all these aspects. Research areas include:

• Quantitative Fisheries Science
• Fish Behavior and Conservation Engineering
• Fisheries Biology and Assessment Laboratory
• Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Modeling Laboratory
• Marine Finfish Dynamics Research
• Marine Fisheries Field Group Research
• Marine Policy
• Marine Resource Economics
• Biological Oceanography – Plankton Ecology

For more than 20 years, New Bedford has remained the No. 1 fishing port in the country in terms of value, and cooperative research with the fishing industry is an important aspect of the work of DFO at SMAST.

Cooperative research occurs throughout the DFO in the industry-based annual sea scallop video survey, fishing gear research and design, socio-economic investigations, and research on species such as cod, herring, yellowtail flounder, winter flounder, and monkfish. Cooperative research is important for the following:

• Enriching our work with the knowledge and perspective of the fishermen
• Alerting us to issues important to the health of the industry and the stocks
• Enhancing our ability to collect high quality data

For example, the scallop industry has worked extensively with the DFO to develop the world's largest video survey data-base of the sea scallop resource, and this research has been used in in management plans since 1999.

DFO Faculty

DFO Adjunct Faculty

• Armstrong, Michael: Deputy Director, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
• Bethoney, David: Executive Director, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
• Castro-Santos, Theodore: Research Ecologist, S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center
• Churchill, James: Emeritus Research Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• DeCelles, Gregory: Lead Strategic Specialist, Ørsted
• Deroba, Jon: Research Fishery Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center- NOAA/NMFS
• Gaichas, Sarah: Research Fishery Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center- NOAA/NMFS
• Hansell, Alexander: Research Fishery Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center- NOAA/NMFS
• Ji, Rubao: Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Kneebone, Jeff: Senior Scientist II, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life- New England Aquarium
• Lam, Chi Hin (Tim): Assistant Research Professor, Large Pelagics Research Center-Big Fish Intelligence Company Limited
• Link, Jason: Senior Technical (ST) Ecosystem-Based Management Research Scientist, NOAA/NMFS
• Lutcavage, Molly: Director/Research Professor, Large Pelagics Research Center-Big Fish Intelligence Company Limited
• Mandelman, John: Vice President and Chief Scientist, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life- New England Aquarium
• McManus, M. Conor:  Supervisory Research Fish Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center- NOAA/NMFS
• Miller, Timothy: Research Fishery Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center- NOAA/NMFS
• O’Connell, Craig: Scientist and On-Camera Presenter, Discovery Channel
• O'Keefe, Catherine: Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council
• Pol, Michael: Research Director, Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA)
• Siemann, Liese: Senior Research Biologist, Coonamessett Farm Foundation
• Skomal, Gregory: Program Manager, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
• Winger, Paul: Director, Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources-Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Woo, Seung-Buhm: Director, Gyunggi-Incheon Sea Grant Center
• Wu, Zhong-Xiang: Senior Scientist, Center for Exposure Assessment & Dose Reconstruction, Exponent Inc.
• Zemeckis, Douglas: County Agent II (Associate Professor), Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources- Rutgers University