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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Oceanographic Students Awarded for Presentations at Fisheries Society Meeting
Students from the Oceanographic Center and research scientist David Kerstetter, Ph.D., attended the annual meeting for the Florida Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (FL-AFS) held Feb. 17-19, 2009, at the 4-H Campgrounds in Ocala.
Over the course of three days, cutting-edge freshwater and marine fisheries research was presented on topics including stock assessment, age and growth, habitat, diet, and fishing gear efficiency. Two Oceanographic Center students contributed to these presentations: Shannon Bayse on a study associated with pilot whale bycatch reduction in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Bryan Armstrong with the oceanographic effects on the behavior of pelagic longline fishing gear. Ethan Machemer presented a poster from his thesis work with the NOAA Miami laboratory on the development of a predictive habitat model for rainbow parrotfish. Heidi Da Silva and Cheryl Cross presented a poster on the combined stomach content and stable isotope diet analyses of three mesopelagic teleost fishes, for which they received the runner-up award for best student poster presentation. Dr. Kerstetter also presented some of his research with Shannon Bayse on the behavior of sailfish in the Florida Straits.
The student subunit of the FL-AFS also met during the meeting and discussed ways in which to reinvigorate the student membership in the chapter. This subunit meeting included discussions on networking, state-wide student activities, and the election of new officers, including two graduate students from the Oceanographic Center: Kerri Bolow was elected as vice president and Heidi Da Silva as treasurer. Both at the national and chapter levels, the American Fisheries Society prides itself on encouraging education and student participation, and all of the Oceanographic Center students making presentations received student travel grants to attend the meeting, as well as students Gabriela Wisniewski and Mae Taylor. Additionally, the FL-AFS chapter awards scholarships each year to two student members.
Approximately 100 professional and student FL-AFS members attended the 2009 chapter meeting. While attendees are exposed to the latest fisheries research statewide, the relatively small group size allows for unique networking opportunities between students and researchers. For information on FL-AFS, please contact Dr. Kerstetter at kerstett@nova.edu.