Fisheries management is the process of converting scientific, economic, and social information into the laws that govern how, when and where fish may be caught. Fisheries management has largely evolved into a quantitative process involving the analysis and synthesis of data from numerous sources. These data vary greatly in quality and the information they contain and this course will focus on the acquisition and use of fisheries data for making management decisions. This course will be a hands-on exploration of data gathering techniques such as trawling, tagging and creel surveys. We will explore these and other techniques through in-class discussion and readings, as well as through participation in the data gathering process. The objectives of this course are to give students exposure to techniques in fishery management and to give them an opportunity to develop there ability to think critically and communicate their ideas.
