Some Fisheries students have first hand experience in fishing boats … but only rarely do students get a chance to listen, interact, and even influence the outcome of official fisheries management deliberations. This was the experience of a recent Fish Tech class at the University of Alaska Southeast.
Earlier this month, Professor Joel Markis traveled to Juneau with a group of students enrolled in a Fisheries Policy course. Each year, the course syllabus calls for students to attend a different type of management meeting. This year, Markis and his students attended the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), alongside 360 other participants from both the US and Canada.
The Fisheries Technology program at the University of Alaska Southeast provides opportunities for its students to gain experience in the field, from measuring stream flow and gradient to spawning and collecting salmon eggs in hatcheries. Additionally, the program also provides opportunities to participate in another aspect of fisheries—management and policy.
Founded in 1923, the IPHC is unique in that it is an international organization that focuses on halibut research and management. The Commission receives support, staff, and funding from both Canada and the United States. The Commission researches halibut biology and population dynamics, and uses this information to make stock management recommendations. The Commission depends on the experience and suggestions of a number of different advisory bodies, including fishermen, processors, scientists, and government agencies from the US and Canada. Each year, the Commission holds a meeting to discuss the status of the halibut population in the North Pacific, propose ideas for future research, and set catch limits for the coming year. Hundreds of stake-holders attended from across North America including Markis and his students, who took the opportunity to better understand Halibut management and policy in this unique framework.
Students had the chance to mingle with different stake-holders, from government officials to halibut harvesters and processors, each with a different opinion on the best way to manage the fishery. The students listened to a number of presentations, reports, and discussions, but they also had opportunities to get to know leaders in the fishing community on a more intimate level.
For Professor Markis and his students, the highlight of this experience is seeing the behind the scenes work that goes into setting regulations for an enormously important industry in the region. Markis explains, “Many of these students will begin their career collecting data used to make these management decisions. At some point, they could be the ones making the management decisions themselves.”
