SMAST Events 59537 Dec8 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 60391 Dec13 Department of Fisheries Oceanography PhD Dissertation Defense by Alexander Hansell The School for Marine Science and Technology Department of Fisheries Oceanography PhD Dissertation Defense "Standardized Catch Rates to Support Data-limited Stock Assessment and Fishery Management" by Alexander C. Hansell Advisor Steven Cadrin Committee Members Diego Bernal, Department of Biology, UMD Tobey Curtis, National Marine Fisheries Service, Highly Migratory Species Division Gavin Fay, Department of Fisheries Oceanography, SMAST, UMD Greg Skomal, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Friday, December 13, 2019 9:00 am SMAST East, Rooms 101/102 836 S. Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford Abstract: Data limited species are a global concern for fisheries science and management. In the United States, historical fisheries exploitation has led to conservation concerns for Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and coastal sharks. The 2015 Atlantic halibut stock assessment was rejected, and the 2017 and 2019 data-limited assessments were unable to determine stock status. Large coastal sharks (Carcharhinidae, Sphyrnidae, and Ginglymostomatidae) are managed as a complex, which was most recently assessed in 2006. The 2006 stock assessment was rejected, and the National Marine Fisheries Service lists species-specific stock assessments of coastal sharks as a priority. Previous Atlantic halibut and large coastal shark complex stock assessments were rejected in part, because of uncertainties with indices of abundance. The trawl survey used to monitor Atlantic halibut catches few fish, and the surveys used to monitor coastal sharks are local and short-term. The goal of this dissertation was to improve abundance estimates for these species by standardizing fisheries dependent and independent catch rates for stock assessment. In Chapter 2, Atlantic halibut fishermen in Maine were interviewed to help create a standardized index from their logbook data, which indicates a stable or increasing stock over the last decade that is consistent with fishermen perceptions. In Chapter 3, a fisheries independent survey for large coastal sharks was standardized in the Bahamas to account for changes in sampling and environmental variables, and the standardized series indicates relatively stable catch rates for the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) and lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) but highly variable catch rates of nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum). In Chapter 4, a Bayesian state-space surplus production model was applied to lemon sharks in the southeastern United States. The model incorporated prior knowledge of lemon shark demography and a combination of eleven indices of abundance and indicates a relatively stable trend is stock abundance since the mid-1990s, with some estimates of prior depletion. Results from Chapter 2 and 3 are expected to provide valuable information, on data-limited species, for management as a relatively empirical indicator or input to analytical stock assessment models. The results from Chapter 4 improve understanding of lemon shark population trends and provide information for fisheries managers that will hopefully provide a solid basis for future management advice. Chapter 5 provides a synthesis of findings and perspectives from each chapter, including overarching lessons and recommendations for future research. Ultimately, developing abundance trends and relatively simple stock assessments for data-limited species can help to ensure they are sustainably harvested. ************************************************************************************ For additional information, please contact Sue Silva at s1silva@umassd.edu 59540 Dec15 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 59543 Jan26 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 58202 Jan31 18th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Woodland Commons Free for Students with online registration; $25 for all others Contact: Office of Human Resources, humanresources@umassd.edu or 508-999-8060 Sponsored by the Office of Human Resources 59546 Feb2 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 59549 Feb9 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 59552 Feb16 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 59555 Feb23 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 59558 Mar1 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 59561 Mar22 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center. 59564 Apr5 Catholic Mass Catholic Mass is celebrated in the Reflection Room on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center.