In this week's lunch lecture Jacob Kasper, a masters student in Coastal and Marine Management at the University Centre, will discuss declining fish populations in relation with fisheries.

 

It is widely known that most fish populations are declining, fish are smaller at maturity and are maturing at younger ages. In recent years it has become widely accepted that these changes are due to the selection pressure that fisheries put on fish populations. The data behind these claims will be presented and examined.

 

Jacob Kasper received his BA in Marine Biology from Bates College, Lewiston, ME in 2000. After graduating he worked in a research laboratory studying population genetics in Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, and on a whale research boat studying sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Pacific and Indian oceans. At Harvard Medical School he earned a Master's of Art degree (2008) in the Biological and Biomedical Science program studying transcription regulation in P. falciparum. Upon completion of his degree he focused his attention on marine science. He spent two years teaching Marine Biology and Conservation. To further his carrier in marine conservation, he is currently studying at the University Centre of the West Fjords earning a Master's in Coastal and Marine Management.