2016-2017 Academic Catalog

Apr 16, 2024

2016-2017 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

IDCE 30216 - Sustainable Fisheries Management

Most of the important New England commercial fishing areas are still in serious trouble. There is an intense and on-going debate over what kinds of drastic measures are needed to enable recovery and what can be done for the fisherman whose livelihood has been dependent on the fisheries. Even fisheries which presently appear successful, such as lobster fishing in Maine, present warnings that current practices may not be sustainable. And there are similar concerns in other coastal regions in the U.S., in Canada, and in other parts of the world. Fisheries represent an interaction between human systems (fishing communities and their cultural, economic, institutional, and legal settings) and biological systems (the commercially desired fish species and the ecosystems which support them). One approach to thinking about humans interacting in complex systems is through simulation games with role-playing. We will supplement a review and interpretation of the historical and contemporary debate on the sustainability of fishing practices with gaming exercises using (simplified) models of fisheries. A second approach is to look closely at how particular fishing communities respond to stresses; we will try to draw lessons from an ongoing NOAA project in a mid-coastal Maine lobster fishing community. There will be opportunities for students to report on fishing practices around the world and for further work on dynamical modeling of fisheries.

Anticipated Terms Offered: varied