Barbara A. Block Stanford University, California, USA
P. Dee Boersma University of Washington, Washington, USA
JoAnn M. Burkholder North Carolina State University, North Carolina, USA
Cheryl Ann Butman Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA
Noah T. Idechong Palau Conservation Society, Koror, Palau
Thomas X. Kocherry National FishworkersÂ’ Forum, Kerala, India
Derek C. G. Muir Environment Canada, Ontario, Canada
Elliot A. Norse Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, USA
Erdal Özhan Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
Gregory S. Stone New England Aquarium, Massachusetts, USA
Barbara Block received a Ph.D. in zoology from Duke University, North Carolina, in 1986. She has been an assistant professor at Stanford University in California since 1993. Dr. Block's research focuses on the physiological capacity of large, open ocean fishes (primarily Atlantic bluefin tuna, swordfish and blue marlin). She will use her Pew award to develop a new generation of remote technology devices, called pop-up
satellite archival tags, to track the biology, migratory patterns and stock structure of these fish. Successful implementation of the advanced technology will provide marine researchers with a new tool for studying other inaccessible marine species.
P. Dee Boersma received a Ph.D. in zoology from Ohio State University in 1974. Since 1988 she has been a professor of zoology and an adjunct professor of women's studies at the University of Washington. Over the past 14 years Dr. Boersma has carried out research on Magellanic penguins in the South Atlantic, assessing their biological characteristics and the effects of human perturbations and policy changes on their survival. She plans to use her Pew award to expand research on how these seabirds utilize the marine environment, demonstrating the use of Magellanic penguins as a flagship species to establish appropriate marine reserve boundaries and zoning that protects both penguins and declining fish stocks.
JoAnn Burkholder received a Ph.D. in botanical limnology from Michigan State University in 1986. She has been an associate professor of aquatic biology and marine sciences at North Carolina State University for the past 11 years. Dr. Burkholder is credited with discovering the toxic marine organism, Pfiesteria piscicida, that has been implicated as a cause of major fish kills and illness in humans in the southeastern U.S. With her Pew award she will detail the chronic/sublethal and acute effects of this organism on fish populations and make that information available for managers to devise strategies that will mitigate its impacts on marine fisheries. She will also enhance regional education and outreach efforts on water quality, using Pfiesteria as an example of the unanticipated results of coastal water quality degradation.
Cheryl Ann Butman received a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the joint program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) in 1984. She has been an associate scientist at WHOI since 1986, and played a leadership role in developing a national agenda on marine biological diversity. Dr. Butman's research addresses the effectiveness of marine reserves as "nurseries" to seed planktonic larvae to the adjacent ocean floor areas that have been impacted by human activities. Her Pew fellowship will be applied to develop a cost-effective DNA probe as a screening and identification device to assess regional-scale larval dispersal of commercially important bivalves (clams and scallops). Results will be used to determine marine habitat recovery from human impacts and to develop management strategies for overexploited and threatened shellfish.
Noah T. Idechong received a bachelor of science in business administration from Hawaii Pacific College in 1976. A recipient of the 1995 Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts in sustainable marine resource management, he is a founding member of the Palau Conservation Society and has been the executive director since 1995. Mr. Idechong will use his Pew fellowship to assess Palau's evolving resource management methods and to formulate and test strategies for shaping local fishery management rules that are based on a combination of traditional and modern practices.
Thomas Xavier Kocherry holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Kerala, received a law degree from the Indian Law Academy in 1982, and is an ordained priest in the Redemptorist religious order. He has worked on fishing and coastal conservation issues in India since 1972-as a fisherman, an activist, and a legal defender of community fishing rights and environmental legislation. For the past 15 years he has served as chair of the National Fishworkers' Forum. Mr. Kocherry plans to use his Pew award to investigate and document infractions to newly enacted coastal zone management laws and to implement an education campaign to improve enforcement and compliance. He will also conduct educational activities in coastal communities, building stakeholder collaboration to support local management and conservation of endangered mangrove fish spawning areas.
Derek C. G. Muir received his Ph.D. in agricultural chemistry from McGill University in 1977. He is a member of the scientific staff of the National Water Research Institute of Environment Canada. Dr. Muir's research focuses on contamination of Arctic marine ecosystems and the effects on biodiversity and human health. He will use his Pew fellowship to confirm elevated levels of PCBs in marine biota, seawater and river water in the Russian Arctic. His activities-collaborative regional research, a series of publications, and an international conference-are designed to reduce uncertainties in existing scientific results, provide an accurate circumpolar perspective on the extent of contamination (using marine mammals as indicators), and to hasten development of international solutions.
Elliot A. Norse received a Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Southern California. He has worked for more than 20 years in marine conservation, science and policy. Dr. Norse launched the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in 1995 and serves as the president of the organization. His Pew award will support initiatives to promote national and international outreach, education and policy development for marine stewardship. Planned activities include three international workshops, a book, a series of articles on marine conservation biology, and consultations on university curriculum development.
Erdal Ozhan received his Ph.D. in coastal engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand in 1975. He has been a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Middle East Technical University in Turkey for more than 20 years. As chairman of the international MEDCOAST initiative, he established a network of Euro-Mediterranean institutions united to promote and implement sustainable coastal environmental management of the Mediterranean and Black seas. Dr. Ozhan plans to utilize his Pew fellowship to incorporate MEDCOAST as a formal nonprofit organization, enhancing its capacity and scope of activities including research, technical assistance, a graduate degree program, a regional data/resource center, international conferences, and public education initiatives.
Gregory S. Stone received a master's degree in marine policy from the University of Rhode Island in 1989 and a bachelor's degree in marine biology from the College of the Atlantic in 1982. He is currently director of Conservation Programs at the New England Aquarium. Mr. Stone's work focuses on multi-stakeholder collaboration for improved marine conservation. His Pew award will be used to reduce marine mammal bycatch in the South Pacific, utilizing pingers--acoustic devices that emit sounds—on fishing nets and other technologies. The initiative, in cooperation with fishers, environmentalists, and scientists, will include testing the effectiveness of pingers to warn away the endangered Hector's dolphin and thus prevent entanglement and unintended death. Stone will also develop a course on marine mammals and bycatch mitigation for the University of the South Pacific and will explore funding mechanisms for such mitigation measures throughout the region.