When:
October 14, 2022 @ 12:20 pm – 1:10 pm
2022-10-14T12:20:00-04:00
2022-10-14T13:10:00-04:00
Where:
Holdsworth 105 or via Zoom
https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/98382259275
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Brett Butler

Advancing Fisheries Sustainability through Innovation

Suresh Sethi, Cornell University*

* The speaker will be presenting remotely.

Talk synopsis: Wild capture fisheries produce over 90 million mt of seafood annually, providing livelihood access to 38 million workers and serving as the primary source of animal protein nutrition for 20% of people on Earth. Yet, poor fishing practices and inadequate fisheries management threaten the long-term sustainability of these food systems. In this presentation, I will briefly outline grand challenges for achieving wild capture fisheries sustainability and emphasize the importance of innovation in accelerating a transition to sustainable fisheries as demand for animal protein continues to increase. I will present work in our group advancing novel fisheries data capture and analysis, fisheries gear innovation, and socioeconomic innovation to support fisheries sustainability. Achieving fisheries sustainability improvements will require expertise and insights across disciplines; my goal in this presentation is to inspire audience members towards solutions-oriented work to improve fisheries sustainability and to advance the focus of the global fisheries discourse beyond one of ecological disturbance regime towards one of improving a key global animal sourced food system.

Suresh A. Sethi is the Assistant Unit Leader of the USGS New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University and an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources & the Environment. Suresh works at the interface of social, ecological, and quantitative sciences to advance solutions to marine and freshwater natural resource management challenges. His collaborative approach to natural resource management science spans academia, regulatory agencies, conservation organizations and industry cooperators. Suresh earned a Ph.D. in fisheries science from the University of Washington in 2011. Prior to joining Cornell, he worked in Alaska, serving as the Regional Biometrician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He also previously commercially fished in Alaska. Suresh originally hails from Minnesota and is an avid cross country skier and cyclist.