SEMINAR: MBF 602 seminar- Elizabeth Martin Friday, April 9th , 2010 4:00pm S/A seminar room

[Cary Rios <crios@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Modeling Age and Size Structures in Harvested Populations of Large Pelagic Predators

MBF Seminar Talk – April 9, 2010

Elizabeth Martin

Adviser: David Die

 

Models developed by theoretical ecologists have been invaluable in the quest for understanding ecological processes.  Many of the models developed under assumptions from terrestrial organisms may not necessary apply to marine ecosystems, which present scientists with a unique challenge.  In fisheries science, understanding the natural dynamics of a harvested population using statistical methods and data analysis can be difficult at best.  Harvesting modifies the dynamics of the population in ways that may not always be observable from the data we collect on marine populations.  Methods from theoretical ecology can be used in fisheries science to combine knowledge from morphometrics, energetics, and other biological aspects of the population into a mathematical framework which, under the appropriate assumptions, can help elucidate what a natural population’s age and size structure should look like.  In addition to providing an understanding of the dynamics of marine populations in the absence of fishing mortality, elucidating these expected structures helps management and assessment teams determine the natural state of the population.  This information can be used to establish virgin stock population benchmarks and reference points which are critical for fisheries stock management and assessment.  Furthermore, these models easily lend themselves to the development of models that include harvest dynamics.  The resulting models can be used to estimate fishing mortality rates from empirical observations and to evaluate fishery management strategies.  My dissertation attempts to elucidate the age and size structure of a virgin population of apex predatory migratory fish in the marine environment, specifically focusing on Atlantic pelagic species by developing and analyzing theoretical models that capture the biological processes inherent within and among these species.

Cary Rios 
Graduate Studies Office
University of Miami

Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
S/A 132
P. 305.421.4920
F. 305.421.4771
http://www.rsmas.miami.edu
crios@rsmas.miami.edu 

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