OBJECTIVE
To provide basic knowledge on fish biology, population ecology, and mathematical models and apply such knowledge to understand the concepts of fisheries management.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
Understanding dynamics and fluctuations of natural fish populations requires a diverse set of skills. Through this course students will learn knowledge of fish biology and field and quantitative methodologies for exploring population dynamics of both freshwater and marine fishes. In addition, students will broaden understanding of fisheries and natural resource management (through lectures and text book readings), practice and develop critical thinking skills (through in-class discussions and a group presentation), and learn how to read and interpret the scientific literature in fish ecology and fisheries science (through discussing the primary literature). Ultimately, this course will provide knowledge and training on formulating research questions and tackling problems in management of fisheries and other natural resources in a changing world.
COURSE FORMAT
There is a 3-hour meeting each week covering the course material. Each meeting comprises a 1.5-hr lecture and an exercise session. The lectures will present and discuss course material. The exercise sessions will consist of computer exercises, laboratory experiments, student-led paper discussions, and a movie.
Computer/lab exercises: Students are required to practice basic mathematical and laboratory analyses during these sessions. There will be assignments to guide the computer/lab exercises. Students will do the assignments during the class period. These assignments are generally due 1 week after they are assigned.
Paper discussions: There will be 3 exercise sessions for discussing journal articles (2 papers each session). The instructor will provide a list of papers, but students are free to substitute a different paper for a given topic. A pair of students will prepare a powerpoint presentation summarizing key points of a paper (30 min) and lead a discussion (20 min). Prior to presentation, students should discuss with the instructor about their discussion material. All students are expected to read all papers and participate in discussion.