Adapting U.S. fisheries management to global change
Fisheries, like many other social-ecological systems, are facing unprecedented global change. The resilience literature predicts that there are certain traits that should enable systems to adapt to this kind of transformative change, but has struggled to make this theory accessible to on-the-ground managers. My current research investigates how fishery managers in the U.S. regional management system understand their fisheries' ability to adapt to change and identifies barriers to managers' ability to manage in a way that promotes that adaptive capacity. |
Angler preferences and behavior in the Mongolian taimen fishery
Taimen, Hucho taimen, is an endangered trout that exists only in Siberia, China, parts of Kazakhstan, and northern Mongolia. As the largest salmonid in the world, it is targeted by fly fishermen who travel from around the globe to catch and release this endangered fish, as well as by local fishermen. My research focuses on how angler behavior might affect the response of taimen populations to threats like climate change and habitat alteration. |
Salmonid catchability under extreme water conditionsShort, intense thunderstorms are increasing in Mongolia as the climate warms. As well as harming grazing land, these storms increase runoff and erosion into rivers, causing flooding and turbid water. I am investigating how these new extreme water conditions might affect salmonids’ catchability on hook-and-line gear, which can inform us about their feeding ecology under extreme conditions and their vulnerability to overfishing if these conditions intensify.
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Photo: David Putnam
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Evaluating mechanisms of complexity in recreational fisheries
In theory, recreational fisheries can exhibit negative feedback loops that produce sustainable dynamics even in the absence of management. However, a wide variety of mechanisms can disrupt this self-regulating potential. I use mathematical modeling to evaluate the impacts of some of the best-understood biological and social mechanisms of complexity in recreational fisheries. |