Earth and Environment graduate seminar

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Title: From Deck to Data: Strengthening Stock Assessments with Fishermen’s Insights by Dr. Carissa Gervasi, Assistant Scientist & NOAA Affiliate, University of Miami / CIMAS – NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Abstract: Fisheries stock assessments are the backbone of fisheries management in the United States, traditionally using data on stock abundance, biology, and catch and effort. These data rarely include ecosystem or socioeconomic information, despite their influence on fish stocks, fisheries, and management success. As environmental disturbances intensify under global change, assessments increasingly need to account for interactions among fish stocks, fisheries, and social systems. Our research illustrates how participatory modeling informed by stakeholder knowledge can improve stock assessments by revealing changes in fishing activity and fisherman behavior, providing context for model uncertainty, and describing feedback loops involving management actions and ecosystem changes. A case study from the Gulf of America red snapper fishery illustrates the benefits of this methodology. Encouraging participatory modeling alongside future stock assessments could improve understanding of socio-ecological feedbacks critical to management success under global change scenarios.