How climate change will affect fish and fisheries
August 20th 2016
Climate change may seem like something that will happen in the distant future. However, the ocean is already warming and fish are already responding in a variety of ways. Many fish species, including many that we find in Long Island, are changing their migration patterns and/or have become more or less abundant. These changes are not temporary and will continue along this trajectory, meaning that the people that rely on fish (fishermen, anglers, fish-consumers and fish-lovers) must adapt too. In this talk, I will show you some of the changes in fishes that we have seen in the last 50 years and what we might expect to happen in the future.
Photo credit: http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2015/11/06/we-can-help-cod-cope-with-climate-change
Interviewing Janet
Where did you go to school?
I grew up in North Carolina. I went to college at Duke University. I got my MS degree from the University of Delaware and my PhD from the University of Maryland
What is your area of research?
I am a fisheries ecologist.
Who or what inspired you to become involved in marine science?
My love for fish started at the aquarium! I could stand for hours in front of a fish tank and just watch them move, wishing I could move like them!
What qualities do you think are important in order to become a scientist?
Creativity and courage
Why is your research topic important?
People care about fish. They like to fish for them, eat them and to learn about them. Many people also depend on healthy fish populations for jobs.
What will you be bringing with you to the “meet with an Oceanographer” day?
I will bring some juvenile fish that we frequently find on Long Island that we are studying at Stony Brook
What is the best advice you have for people interested in becoming involved in your field of research or in marine sciences?
Pay attention in math class and don’t be intimidated by equations. I never loved math and never thought I was very good at it until I learned how I could use it to study something I loved.
What is your favorite ocean organism?
Frogfish and box crabs
Want to know more about Janet research? Visit her website