Sustainable Fisheries

Course Dates

June 2, 2025 to June 16, 2025

Prerequisites

One semester of college-level biology.

Equivalent Note

ALL STUDENTS: See the Financial Support & Scholarships page for details about a course-specific award that can be applied towards the cost of enrolling in Sustainable Fisheries and other select SML courses for summer 2021.

Course Description

Students will explore the theory and practice of fisheries sustainability through unique interactions with local fishermen and practitioners working in the Gulf of Maine. Through at-sea experiences aboard Shoals research vessels and demonstrations of commercial fishing vessels, students will receive a comprehensive overview of commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Maine. Students will gain proficiency in fish collection and dissection, understand quantitative approaches to data collection to help inform management decisions, gain perspective from different stakeholders about the conservation and development challenges facing the Gulf of Maine fishery, and learn about the cultural and socioeconomic issues involved in sustainable fisheries.

Learning outcomes for this course include:

• Identify Gulf of Maine finfish and other commercially important species;
• Know the basic biology, distribution, and ecology of commercially important fishes in the Gulf of Maine;
• Know how fisheries data are collected and used to determine basic stock assessments;
• Understand the legal and institutional context for fisheries management;
• Understand economic, social, and cultural factors that influence sustainable fishing.

SML’s Sustainable Fisheries course receives support from New Hampshire Sea Grant to facilitate interactions with members of the commercial and recreational fishing industries in the Gulf of Maine.