Hometown: Fairbanks, AK

Degree seeking: M.S. Fisheries Science, Fairbanks

Year of expected graduation: 2006

Major professor: Dr. Gordon Haas

Previous university: Fordham University

Previous major: Philosophy
 

Briefly describe your graduate project: My graduate research includes the documentation of Yup'ik subsistence fishermen's traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of 5 species of whitefish, as well as a fisheries biology study of these populations (R/72-01). The project goal is to develop a database of whitefish TEK, life history, and biological data that may be used in future management of the fishery. In doing so we will attempt to develop a means by which local fishers, biologists, and resource managers can share information and responsibility in the management of this very important subsistence resource.

Why did you choose UAF? UAF offers me an excellent opportunity to access traditional communities still reliant upon subsistence harvests for their livelihood. In turn this allows me to make a real contribution to the growth of TEK studies in the biological sciences.

Favorite pastimes and hobbies: I mostly enjoy spending my leisure time with my wife and three children. We like to camp throughout Alaska, which we have done from the North Slope to the Yukon River Delta, to the Wrangell Mountains, and many places between. I also enjoy hunting, angling, and cross-country skiing.

Most interesting educational experience so far: I think most importantly I have discovered that the process of learning about whitefish by way of the traditional knowledge of Yup'ik fishermen and their families is a very challenging endeavor. I suspect that this may be one reason why most biologists have chosen not to investigate the natural world through the lens of indigenous cultures. However, there is likely a great deal that scientists can learn from the lifelong observations of people who still rely on the land and sea for their survival.

Future plans: I hope to remain involved in studying freshwater fishes with the assistance of Alaska Native fishermen. I may seek employment as a full-time fisheries biologist or renew my former career as a teacher and work with rural students and their communities in their discovery of fish, biology, and Western scientific methods.

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