Research
Spotlight
MGG
STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN
SOLOMON ISLANDS TSUNAMI SURVEY
On
April 2, an earthquake registering 8.1 on the
Richter scale triggered a tsunami that hit the Western
and Choiseul
provinces of the Solomon Islands. That earthquake and tsunami
left thousands homeless, and set a death toll of 52, making
it the biggest natural disaster ever to hit these remote
provinces. Amid the many relief agencies’ rapid response
teams were eight scientists who were also there one month
following the event, to assess the geologic impact. This
group of scientists included Kelly Jackson,
a master’s student and graduate assistant in the Rosenstiel School
Division of Marine Geology and Geophysics.
The National Science Foundation and UNESCO sponsored the
team of scientists to study the events’ geologic effects,
and this team consisted of scientists from three U.S. universities
(Earlham College, University of Miami Rosenstiel School,
and Vassar College), Fiji (SOPAC), and the Solomon Islands
(Ministry of Mines and Energy & Dive Gizo).
“The
goal of this survey was to document the changes to the
coastal geology of the region, focusing on sediment movements
and how they are potentially recorded in the long-term
geologic record both onshore and offshore,” Jackson
said. “The
earthquake and tsunami caused extensive damage to coral
reefs, coastal erosion, and in some locations, three
meters of uplift,
subsidence, and numerous landslides in the Western and
Choiseul Provinces. Extensive damage to the coral reefs
ranged from
shattered branching corals to four-meter head corals
that snapped off their base and toppled over. The fringing
reef
along the east coast of Ranongga sustained the greatest
degree of damage as it was uplifted three meters above
sea level
and remains completely exposed.”
The
team had more than 10 years of experience assessing tsunami-affected
areas, such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
Vanuatu, Japan, and
the United States, for long-term geologic impacts of
earthquakes and tsunamis.
To
assess long-term impacts and better understand how this
particular tsunami came
ashore where it did, the
team collected
samples to study the sediment transported on and
off shore by the waves. Measuring properties like the size
of the
sediment grains helped estimate the size of prehistoric
tsunamis.
Jackson said, “If we are able to adequately
describe the sedimentary evidence left by this present-day
tsunami,
then we can use sediment data from ancient deposits
to determine paleotsunami wave properties using the
present as the key
to the past.”
Jackson
is studying the sedimentology of recent and ancient tsunami
deposits in southeastern
Sri Lanka
with Rosenstiel School
investigators, Drs. Gene Rankey, Gregor Eberli,
Falk Amelung, Larry Peterson,
Peter Swart and Andrew Moore (Earlham
College).
2007
Solomon Islands Tsunami Survey Team. Left to right: Wilson
B. Rafiau (Solomon Islands Department
of Mines
and Energy), Brian G. McAdoo (Vassar
College),
Kelly L. Jackson (University
of Miami Rosenstiel School), Jens
Kruger (Pacific Islands
Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), Andrew
L. Moore (Earlham College), Braddley
Tiano (Dive
Gizo, Solomon
Islands). Not pictured: Michael Bonte-Grapentin (Pacific
Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)),
Douglas
Billy (Solomon Islands Department of Mines
and Energy). Photo credit:Grant Griffiths.
STUDYING
THE AFTER-EFFECTS OF
THE 2007 PERUVIAN EARTHQUAKE
In
the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Peru, a group
of Rosenstiel School students and researchers spent a few weeks
studying the post-earthquake shifting of tectonic plates to
better
predict the timing and strength of future earthquakes.
-Pozo-Santo.jpg)
A
church just outside of Paracas, Peru, about 30km from the epicenter
of the earthquake. It is called ‘Pozo Santo’ which
means holy well. The legend is that when the Spanish were settling
the area they were in the desert in desperate need of water
and prayed, when suddenly water started bubbling out of the
desert in this spot. And so they built a church here. There
is no other settlement for miles. There was a constant flow
of people at the church to pay homage. Photo
credit: Kim Psencik.
.jpg)
A
house nearly 10 km outside of Ica, Peru, about 60 km from
the epicenter. The door was the only thing left standing in
the
house. All of the walls fell in, not a single one was knocked
down in the clean up. Apparently
this is common and people in Peru say that in an earthquake
you should always stand in a doorway.Photo
credit: Kim Psencik.
-KIM2.jpg)
Members
of Rosenstiel School geodesy lab sink a 30cm pin into the rock
as a marker and mounting point for an antenna, and then they
install
the antenna and receiver for 6-30 days to record the motion
of the plates. In this case, they were hoping to capture the
post-seismic motion. This is the relaxation of the plates after
an earthquake back to equilibrium before the fault begins to
build up stress again for the next earthquake. The team installed
four new sites in this way and will measure at this site as
well as five others for the next 5-10 years to fully capture
this motion. By understanding the motion before, during, and
after an earthquake, scientists hope to better predict the
timing and strength of the next earthquake..Photo
credit: Edmundo Norabuena.
MSGSO NEWS STEP
RIGHT UP …
AND SUPPORT
OUR STUDENTS 
It’s
that time of year again, when all it takes to get a vacation
to the Caribbean is an auction bid! In addition to theater
tickets, restaurant gift certificates, sports tickets and shopping
sprees, the annual Marine Science Graduate Student
Organization (MSGSO) auction promises a plethora of services and expertise
from students and staff. The event is scheduled for Friday,
Oct. 12, starting at 4:30 p.m. in The Commons.
Every
year, the auction raises funds to support graduate student
research
in marine and atmospheric sciences. Admission is $5
and includes food, beer, door prizes, and access to a rummage
sale, silent auction, and live auction.
Some
of the items on this year's auction block include: dinner
at local restaurants such as Scotty's Landing, Perricone’s
and P.F. Chang’s; passes to Disney World; swimming
with the Dolphins at Dolphins Plus; kayaking and fishing
outings;
lessons for a variety of sporting activities; gift certificates
to top notch hotels and an assortment of local businesses;
a 14-day cruise, and much, much more . . .
Donations
are tax deductible. Proceeds go to the Rosenstiel School MSGSO
Student Travel Fund. Each year these funds support travel
for Rosenstiel School graduate students to attend scientific
conferences to present
their research, provide interest-free loans to students, and
host student activities. For more information, or to make a
donation e-mail msgso@rsmas.miami.edu or visit http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/msgso/.
NEW
STUDENT EVENTS
FOR FALL 2007
 October
12 – MSGSO Student Auction (Commons)
October
20 – FSU
game (Commons)
October
31 – Halloween Party (Commons)
December
7 – End
of semester/Christmas party (Commons)
MSGSO
leadership will update the community through e-mails and a
regular column in
Soundings. Please feel
free to contact MSGSO
leadership at msgso@rsmas.miami.edu,
or through division representatives.
Facilities
Update READY
FOR STORMY WEATHER The
hurricanes seem to be dodging Miami thus far, but the Rosenstiel
School Science Library and Administration Building are ready
for them if or when they arrive. Since spring, these buildings
have benefited from a grant to make them more hurricane resistant,
a goal that has now been realized. New
accordion shutters and skylights have been installed such that
they can withstand 146 mph winds. Additionally, the skylights
boast insulated panels that will improve the building’s
energy efficiency, as well. To
access upper shutters, the school ordered a scissor lift, and
the facilities team is also installing a new sidewalk on the
north side of the building specifically for this lift.
Another
major project in the works has been the Collier Building clean-up.
The facilities team has finished work in the storage areas on
the ground floor there, installing new steel louvered doors,
a new ventilation system, and mold prevention paint. These measures
should help protect stored materials and keep them free from
a recurrence of mold outbreaks.
Library
Lines... E-RESOURCES
MAKE
RESEARCH EASIER
When
it comes to research, it’s
important to know about available resources and how best to access
them for a successful school year.
Remember that our library has many electronic resources, including
e-journals, literature databases, and electronic course reserves.
Here is some handy information to help you access our electronic
databases.
‘MyLibrary’ Account
Easy Set Up and Use
Setting up a MyLibrary account may seem unnecessary to the
researcher who is always on campus, but a MyLibrary account
allows you to
renew books, access e-journals and continue to work even when
you are
off-campus. All you need is access to the Web. Look for the “MyLibrary” link
on IBISWeb at: http://www.library.miami.edu or
go directly to http://ibisweb.miami.edu/patroninfo.
Just use your “C” number to register a library “PIN” and
set up your account.
In ‘MyLibrary’ you can:
• Access e-journals, databases, and course reserves from off-campus.
• Place a hold and submit purchase recommendations without having to
re-key your personal information
• Receive mail alerts of new material matching your preferred searches
• Save and rerun up to 10 preferred searches
• View a list of borrowed items
• Renew library items
• View/cancel hold requests
• View unpaid fines and bills
• View your contact information
• Modify your Library PIN
You
can contact the Rosenstiel School Library Circulation at extension
5-4060 if you have difficulty with your library PIN.
Nearly
all library electronic resources are available at any time through
the University
of Miami Libraries gateway http://www.library.miami.edu.
Many resources are accessed with your UM ID (C Number) and
your library PIN. Remember to keep your UM ID and PIN in a safe
place and do not
share them.
'My
Library’ Training Available
Rosenstiel School librarians will be contacting new graduate
students to set up individualized instruction sessions, but
they also do
refresher training, as requested, and even make office calls! As
more resources come onto the Internet, one critical key to efficient,
effective research is having this kind of speedy access to further
your own publications.
LITTLE
SALT SPRING EXHIBIT
AT RICHTER LIBRARY
THROUGH OCTOBER  The
Little Salt Spring road show continues, with its latest installment
at the Coral Gables campus Richter Library. Art aficionados and
history buffs have a chance to view the unusual collection of
artifacts
from
west Florida in, “Dive into the Past: An Exhibit on
the Little Salt Spring Archaeological Site,” showing until the end of
October. The display officially opens with a “Friends
of the Library” lecture on Tues., Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.
Little Salt Spring is one of the most exciting and important
archaeological sites in the nation for its wealth of information
about the first
Floridians over 12,000 years ago. The exhibit provides a tantalizing
sample of the range of artifacts and secrets that lie waiting
for discovery.
“We’ve found literally thousands of artifacts as well as vertebrate,
invertebrate, and plant fossils down there,” said Rosenstiel
School associate professor and Little Salt Spring principal investigator Dr.
John Gifford. “Our research has only begun to scratch
the surface. More than 90 percent of the sinkhole is still unexplored,
and we’re positive that the more research we’re able
to do on the spring, the more we’ll be able to paint an
accurate picture of South Florida’s ancient civilizations,
climate, and biological diversity.”
In
2005, Gifford and his graduate students discovered two exceptional
Archaic artifacts
estimated to be approximately 7,000 years old — a
greenstone pendant and another carved stone artifact that appears
to be part of a spear-thrower. Deer antler and bone tools,
wooden relics, and preserved organic materials compose a large
portion
of the rarities selected for display in the Richter Library.
An impressive
collection of 9,000-year-old relics that researchers and students
have excavated since 1992, the exhibit is of great historical
importance to all Florida residents, past and present. Gifted
to the University
of Miami in 1982, Little Salt Spring in North Port, Fla., was
first discovered to be an underwater archeological site in
the late 1950s.
The
240-foot deep, hourglass-shaped spring is fed from a source
thousands of feet deep that has no dissolved oxygen in the
water; consequently,
bacteria cannot proliferate and decompose organic materials
under these conditions, allowing for extraordinary artifact preservation. “With North Port growing so rapidly, the spring’s chemistry
is already changing,” Gifford said. “It’s hard
to imagine what could have fallen into the spring over those
12,000 years, but it’s even harder to imagine not having
the opportunity to find it.”
Conceived and created by Dan Hughes, Sarasota
County archaeologist, the exhibit represents part of an
ongoing collaboration between
the University of Miami and Sarasota County to inform the
public about
Little Salt Spring.
CARIBBEAN CRUISE
FOR ALUMS,
DONORS  After
the success of the first “Friends
of Rosenstiel” cruise
this year, the Advancement team has lined up another seven-night
cruise, January 26-February 2, aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Liberty
of the Seas. The ship sails from the Port of Miami to the Caribbean
and Mexico, with cabin prices starting at $690 per person. (This
includes accommodations and meals but not tax, port fees, or excursions.)
With
ports of call in Labadee, Montego Bay, Georgetown, and Cozumel,
the cruise boasts a unique look at coral reefs, and will feature
Rosenstiel School faculty member Dr. Andrew Baker, an internationally
renowned expert on the impact of climate change on coral reefs. The
group will meet regularly for private presentations, seminars,
and conversations with Baker about the marine environment and
its future. Each evening, participants will meet for cocktails
and
conversation in a private lounge, followed by dinner in their
own section of the
dining room. On the islands of Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman,
and Cozumel, Baker will co-lead shore expeditions. Participants
can
join in on as many or as few activities as they would like. The
Rosenstiel School’s long-term collaboration with Royal
Caribbean represents an innovative partnership between
academia, private industry, and federal entities. Aboard Royal
Caribbean’s
Explorer of the Seas, on-board oceanographers
and meteorologists study the ocean and atmosphere through
the
world’s only
operational research labs aboard a cruise ship. Plans are underway
to
gather atmospheric data from Liberty of the Seas in
the future, as well.
For
more information, contact Doug Ray at 5-4061 or d.ray@miami.edu
THE
LAST WORD
A
suggestion came in that a homily might be a nice addition to
each issue of Soundings, and since we always listen to our
readers, here is the first of many to come. If you have a positive
thought or quote that we might share with others in Soundings,
or other comments and ideas, please send them our way to barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu or choward@rsmas.miami.edu.
What
is the function of an academic?
"It
is to be the curator of his or her subject, to understand it
as a living body of knowledge, to review it critically, to
prune it of the obsolete, to add to it the new, and then to
pass it on to the next generation.
--
Max McGlashan (1924-1997), professor of physical chemistry,
University of London.
This
issue of Soundings brought to you by..
Managing
Editor
Barbra Gonzalez
Editor
Christian Howard
Production
Hunter Augustus
Overseas
Adviser
Ivy Kupec
Contributors
Ray
Alfonso
Oana Ioncel
Kelly Jackson
Susan MacMahon
Kim Psencik
Nancy Voss
Karen Wilkening
Linda Fish
|
 Soundings is the monthly school newsletter for faculty, students,
alumni, and staff like Mary Fitts, a senior
staff associate in facilities administration who has worked
at the Rosenstiel
School for more than three years.
What
do you like most about the Rosenstiel School?
I
love the location; it's great to be working right next to the
ocean, but I also
like the people here a lot. They're
all laid
back and respectful.
Do
you have any hobbies?
I
love sports, especially college football; it's more exciting
than the professional teams. And I love
live music! I've
seen Incubus, Aerosmith, Marc Anthony and many more in
concert. Another hobby of mine, if I can call it that,
is playing
with
my six-year-old
niece, Eliza. I try to spend as much time as possible
with her. I also like to cook southern and Latin (Cuban and
Peruvian) food.
And now my friend Madhuri is teaching me how to cook
Indian
cuisine because I love spicy food. Like my father says, “A
good food is anything that makes you sweat!”
What's
one thing that you absolutely could not live without?
I
couldn't live without my car! It is my independence, since
I live so far away.
If
the Rosenstiel School made you a millionaire, what would you
do next?
I
would travel everywhere and learn as many languages as possible.
I'd also learn to play the piano.
I learned when
I was young,
but I have long since forgotten. Then I would
shop and spoil my loved ones and myself.
If
we spend over 10 hours per day with you, what should we know
about you?
I
try to be as helpful as I can because that creates a better
atmosphere for everyone, but
after a long
day I
can definitely
be moody.
NEW
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR ON BOARD
 Barbra
Gonzalez has joined the Rosenstiel School as its new communications
director, bringing
with her 15 years of public affairs experience
and an impressive portfolio of career success stories. Most
recently, Gonzalez was at Nova Southeastern University in Davie
as director
of public affairs, which included work with Nova’s Oceanographic
Center (including the Guy Harvey and National Coral Reef Institutes),
as well as work with professors, researchers, and students
within the university’s Health Professions Division.
Working
closely with past Rosenstiel School communications director,
Ivy Kupec, as well as communications staff members
Christian Howard
and Oana Ioncel, Gonzalez hopes to capitalize and build upon
the communications efforts currently underway at the Rosenstiel
School,
including: the Annual Report, Soundings, updating Web site
content and other external media communications. In addition,
Gonzalez
will also oversee the school’s outreach efforts, supervising
a new outreach coordinator that is in the process of being
hired.
Gonzalez
earned her degree in English from Kent State University and has
attended the American School in Madrid and
the Associação
Escola Graduada de São Paulo in Brazil. She is fluent
in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and is conversational
in French.
“I’m very happy to be here, and looking
forward to meeting all of the faculty members, researchers, staff
and students,” said Barbra. “I am going to need everyone’s
help (and patience!) in educating me about the great things taking
place throughout the Rosenstiel School, so we can get them the
recognition and coverage they truly deserve.”
E-mail
barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu or
call her at 5-4704 to let Barb know about your latest and greatest
projects!.
MAGER
EARNS PRESTIGIOUS EPA FELLOWSHIP
 Rosenstiel
School
Doctoral Student Ed Mager has been awarded a prestigious
three-year Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship for
Graduate Environmental Study to support his ongoing studies
of the effects of prolonged,
sub-lethal lead exposure in fish. The EPA created the STAR fellowship program
in 1995 to encourage promising students to obtain advanced degrees for environmental
careers.
Currently
in his third year, Mager has been working with Dr. Martin
Grosell, associate professor of marine biology and fisheries,
to investigate the environmental
toxicology of lead in two freshwater organisms — the fathead minnow
and the daphnid or “water flea” – commonly used by the
EPA in setting water quality criteria. The fellowship will allow Mager to
further
study how
lead affects the fish at sub-lethal physiological and biochemical levels.
The accumulation of lead in body tissues has been shown to cause varying
illnesses
in different organisms, so Mager hopes this research will ultimately help
improve lead-based regulations for local water conditions.
Originally
from St. Louis, Mager graduated from St. Louis University
with
a bachelor's degree in biology before receiving his master’s degree
in biotechnology from Northwestern University. After completing his doctorate,
Mager hopes to
pursue a career in environmental protection with the EPA, USGS, or other
state or local agencies.
AULT
PUBLISHES TARPON, BONEFISH COMPENDIUM
With
a career devoted to under-standing how best to manage some
of Florida’s
most popular sport fish, Rosenstiel School faculty member
Dr. Jerry
Ault has edited "Biology and Management
of the World Tarpon and Bonefish Fisheries."
Ault,
a professor in the Division of Marine Biology
and Fisheries, conducts an annual bonefish census,
has a
unique high-tech tagging approach to studying tarpon
and bonefish, and also leads a multi-organization census
in
the Dry Tortugas reserve every other year.
“The core of a multibillion dollar sport fishing industry,
tarpon and bonefish, two of the earth’s oldest creatures,
are experiencing obvious and precipitous population declines,” Ault
said. “Experienced anglers in the Florida Keys suggest
a drop of approximately 90-95 percent for the bonefish
population over the past 65 years.”
Despite
the economic value of the industry and scientific value of
these ancient fish, very little information
is available about their movements and migrations,
population dynamics,
life histories, and reproductive habits to effectively
sustain fisheries for these species.
With
contributions from some of the world’s leading
experts, Ault’s book synthesizes existing scientific
literature, presents new perspectives, and introduces
original scientific research to guide fishery management
and conservation
efforts for building sustainable tarpon and bonefish
fisheries. Divided into five sections, the book begins
with an overview
of the state of the world’s fisheries for tarpon
and bonefish. The second section reviews the biology
and life
history dynamics of these fish with contributions on
conservation genetics, reproductive biology and early
life development,
as well as resolving gaps in evolutionary lineage and
taxonomy. Covering population dynamics and resource
ecology, the third
section discusses migratory patterns in the Atlantic
and the use of tagging. Highlighting the lore and appeal
of these
fascinating sport fish, the book concludes by introducing
myriad proposals designed to improve fishery sustainability
by conducting censuses, enforcing catch-and-release
programs, and supporting science-based management decision
making.
ALUMNI
IN ACTION
Thanks
to the Rosenstiel School alumni below for their news
and updated contact information. Keep the news coming!
1980s
Randy Edwards, PhD '87 MBF, is a
research associate professor in the Department of
Environmental Science, Policy, and Geography at the
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg (USF-SP).
After leaving the Rosenstiel School and subsequent
to starting and leading the Rosenstiel School Experimental
Fish Hatchery, Edwards worked for a number of years
on mariculture and stocking of marine fish, then
switched his focus to fish ecology while at Mote
Marine Laboratory. At Mote with his former Rosenstiel
School colleague Steve Berkeley (see “In Remembrance,” this
issue), Edwards worked first on blue marlin, then
on ecology of highly migratory and coastal pelagic
fishes including tarpon, king and Spanish mackerel,
as well as estuarine species like snook and red drum.
At USF-SP, Edwards’ research has been largely
in three areas: relationships and impacts of deepwater
petroleum platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico
on open-ocean pelagic fishes, especially yellowfin
tuna; movements and migrations of Gulf sturgeon using
acoustic telemetry and satellite archival pop-up
tags; and the movements and migrations of white marlin
in the northern Gulf of Mexico, also through satellite
pop-up tagging related to remotely sensed oceanographic
conditions.
1990s
On August 1, Tristan Fiedler, MS ’95 MBF, began his
new positions as associate director of scientific development and research
assistant professor, Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Institute
of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla. Fiedler will teach genetics, immunology,
and bioinformatics, pursuing research on the interface between biology and
computer science, and he is involved in the 50th anniversary campaign for the
FIT College of Science. Fiedler received his PhD in 2001 from the University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, followed by postdoctoral positions at the
medical school, the Rosenstiel School and at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.
2000s
Jeremy T. Mathis, PhD '07 MAC, is
now an assistant professor of chemical oceanography
at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of
Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
We
want to hear from you!
Continue
to enjoy reading about your former classmates, and
let us at the Rosenstiel School know where you are
and what you’ve been doing, by sharing news about
yourself in a future issue of Soundings. Your contact
data will update our listing in our Rosenstiel School
Alumni Directory. Submit your contact information and
latest news by accessing:
http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/alumni/
update.cgi or e-mail your
latest news to alumni@rsmas.miami.edu.
If you have any questions, call 305/421-4061.
In
Remembrance
STEVEN
A. BERKELEY
 Steve
Berkeley died at his home in Scotts Valley,
Calif. June 27, following a year-long battle
with cancer. He was 60 years old. Steve received his
master’s degree from the Rosenstiel School in
1972 and was a fishery scientist/senior research associate
in what was then called the Division of Biology and
Living Resources. Steve made many lasting contributions
to fisheries science, management, and conservation.
At
the Rosenstiel School, Steve conducted programs on the
life history and population dynamics of pelagic fish,
including halfbeaks, clupeids, swordfish and sharks,
and on assessments of shrimp fisheries in Biscayne Bay.
He also directed a major program evaluating recreational
fisheries in the Bay and participated in research in
the Gulf of Mexico, in British Columbia, and in the Arabian
Gulf. During his Rosenstiel School years and also at
Oregon State University, Steve supervised student research
and mentored numerous graduate students.
At
the time of his death, Steve was a research biologist
at Long Marine Laboratory, University of California at
Santa Cruz, where he worked closely with NOAA scientists,
including his wife Susan Sogard (M.S., MBF, ‘82).
From 1993-2001, Steve held appointments in the Department
of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University.
His recent research on Pacific rockfish (Sebastes spp.)
provides compelling evidence that large, old females
produce higher-quality offspring, emphasizing the high
value of old fish to the spawning stock. This research,
published prominently in Ecology, helped to build momentum
for Marine Protected Areas on the California coast.
From
1984-1993, Steve was a fishery biologist with the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) in Charleston,
S.C., where he developed fishery management plans and
worked to implement policies to reduce by-catch in pelagic
longline fisheries. Steve led efforts as an advocate
for rigorous management of overfished swordfish.
Steve
had an unusual ability to interface between the fishing
industry and conservation communities and served on many
influential advisory bodies. His expertise in large pelagic
fish led to prestigious appointments with the International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
He served on the Scientific and Statistical Committees
of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council and
the Pacific Fishery Management Council and was on the
Board of Directors of the Fishery Conservation Foundation.
Steve was active in the American Fisheries Society and
served as president of its Marine Fisheries Section from
1998-2000.
Until
the last two months of his life, Steve remained active
and reveled in outdoor life as an avid fisherman, snowboarder,
whitewater kayaker, and hiker. He pursued those activities
with passion – from the Yukon to the Colorado River
to the mountains of Chile. In February 2007, he and Sue
joined Ed Houde and his wife on a trip to Colorado where
he still was shredding the slopes on his snowboard, only
a bit constrained by his illness. In early May, Steve
maintained an optimistic outlook and was looking forward
to catching 30-pound salmon in the fall months. Those
plans were cut short, but Steve led a remarkably full
life. His 60 years were filled with more rewarding professional,
recreational, and cultural achievements than most of
us can hope to experience.
Contributed
by: Ed Houde and Randy Edwards (Ph.D., MBF '87)
|
