Scientific Symposium Highlights Fisheries Research at MBL and Beyond
On May 17, MBL’s Speck Auditorium filled with scientists, fishing enthusiasts, fisheries managers, and local saltwater guides alike for the second Fisheries Science Symposium from the American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA).
The symposium, which was run in partnership with the MBL, featured a series of speakers and was aimed to “educate and empower the community for future engagement in fisheries discussions,” according to the ASGA’s story about the event. Speakers discussed projects and issues related to local striped bass, false albacore, and herring populations, among other topics.
The scientific sessions kicked off with MBL’s Scott Bennett, program manager of Striped Bass Magic at the MBL. Bennett gave an overview of the program, its research, and the two populations of striped bass that live in Eel Pond.
“Speaking to a diverse set of stakeholders, like you get at a symposium like this, is incredibly beneficial to our research,” said Bennett. “We get feedback and ideas from people who spend vast amounts of time on the water interacting with these fisheries and they often have insights that can help direct our work. Communicating our research directly to guides, policy makers, and recreational anglers plays a huge role in the conservation of important local species.”
"Meetings like this can also highlight the way that MBL can significantly contribute to fisheries science, something that hasn't always been within the scope of the institution," said Bennett.
Through the MBL’s Striped Bass Magic program and The Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust Fellowship, resident and visiting investigators at the MBL conduct research on biological and ecological questions that relate to striped bass—from circadian rhythms in stripers to the impacts of ocean noise on our local striper population. Studying Eel Pond’s striped bass population leads to new insights into how environmental changes can impact ecosystems and their inhabitants— and how we can protect species like the bass and make sure they thrive for generations to come.
The presentations also included representatives from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, New England Aquarium, and the recreational fishing guide community, among others. Andrew Jacobs, a representative from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head-Aquinnah’s Natural Resources Department, highlighted the tribe’s work monitoring river herring populations, which have declined. The tribe has partnered with the Striped Bass Magic program to tag striped bass populations on Martha’s Vineyard.
Learn more about the symposium at the American Saltwater Guides Association website.