An Interdisciplinary Approach to Defining River Herring Stock Structure in the Gulf of Maine

Master’s Student Position available

University of Southern Maine
Biology Program
Portland, Maine

Qualification:

  • Bachelor of Science in biology, ecology or related fields
  • Ability to work independently and as a team
  • Some knowledge of conservation genetics and/or statistics will be a bonus

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities will include a combination of field and lab work, some portion of which will be applied towards the student’s thesis. Candidate will be working in freshwater (lakes and rivers) and marine environments, at times from fishing boats offshore in the Gulf of Maine.

Announcement closes December 15. Position will begin in January 2010. Funding for the project will end in December 2012. Graduate stipend available.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Theodore Willis, University of Southern Maine

theowillis06@gmail.com

207-228-1673

Requested materials: letter of interest, CV, three references

Project abstract:

The student will participate in a two-year study to quantify and define anadromous river herring stock structure across major alewife river systems in coastal Maine watersheds using an interdisciplinary approach to stock structure identification. Despite dramatic declines of river herring (a collective name for alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (A. aestivalis) throughout their entire range, surprisingly little is known about their behavior and biology. Disregard of stock structure can lead to dramatic changes in biological attributes and productivity, loss of genetic diversity, overfishing and depletion of less productive stocks, and incorrectly anticipating how a stock will respond to management strategies and environmental change. This study will provide 1) basic but critical data necessary for more informed management decisions, 2) a preliminary assessment of the risk of Maine alewife populations to potential high-mortality events in the Gulf of Maine (e.g., bycatch and oil spills), and 3) recommendations for developing regional capacity to incorporate stock structure identification into routine assessments and monitoring programs.

Project collaborators include Dr. Karen Wilson, Univ. of Southern Maine and Dr. Jason Stockwell, Gulf of Maine Research Institute