Sustaining opportunity: reducing discards in fisheries science and math education

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Overview: In this project, a two-pronged approach toward "sustaining opportunity" is planned for improving fisheries science and mathematical education in the United States. The first approach involves an evaluation of a fisheries management strategy that focuses on the utility of short-term time-area closures and catch-balancing regulations, both of which are used in Iceland. Two-week area closures are mandated in Iceland when the percentage of juvenile fish landed is too high. Catch-balancing regulations allow fishermen to account for quota overages through trade, between-year transfers, or species transformations. The ability of these rules to reduce juvenile mortality and maximize long-term profitability will be analyzed in a theoretical multi-species, age-structured bioeconomic model that includes "discarding." Discarding refers to tossing overboard fish resources that are unprofitable because the species or size is illegal or unmarketable. The model will be parameterized using Icelandic groundfish fisheries and results will be compared with a parameterization based on the U.S. Northeast groundfish fishery. Stocks for the same species in each location will be compared for analysis to determine whether results could change for stocks with a rebuilding or depleted status. For the second approach, the opportunity for a free and equitable mathematics education will be enhanced by supporting a curriculum-based on-line math self-tutoring tool (Tutor-web). An auxiliary website (Math is All Around Us) will be developed to challenge graduate students with the task of contextualizing high-school curricular math problems by using examples from their research or real life. This project will be completed at the University of Iceland under the sponsorship of Dr. Gunnar Stefansson. The fellow will spend up to two months per calendar year in New England consulting with math educators and fisheries scientists and managers regarding analysis of Northeast groundfish species. Intellectual Merit: In this study, the fellow will analyze fisheries management regulations that are only used extensively in Iceland, and therefore a novel approach to an old, yet bewildering question: How can fisheries be sustainably managed? This study builds on recent evaluations of marine protected areas, theoretical origins of fishery stock temporal variation, and studies that indicate how the population dynamics of depleted or rebuilding stocks may be wholly different from those of healthy stocks. This study is also well-timed and urgent, as severe declines in the Northeast groundfish fisheries are likely to prompt further evaluation of the current regulations in place. The proposed website will also contribute to an innovative educational tool that uses adaptive algorithms. Broader Impacts: This project will further the theory behind fisheries policy designs, as well as assist in knowledge transfers between the U.S. and Iceland. Improvements to the fishing industry resulting from these analyses will benefit the socioeconomic status of stakeholders and local communities, which are important for the national economy and cultural significance. Methods for building social capacity both within the U.S. and internationally are explicitly built into this proposal through the website project. This will aid in: 1) development of contextualized curricular math, 2) participation of graduate students in education, 3) mentoring of high school students by graduate students, 4) exposure of successful scientists from underrepresented groups, and 5) publicizing of Ocean Science programs and news.This postdoctoral fellowship is managed by the Division of Ocean Sciences and funded by the International Science and Engineering Section of the Office of International and Integrative Activities.