School of Earth and Environmental Science
Brian N. Tissot
Integrating Ecology into Fishery Management and Policy
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Effective management of marine resources requires the successful integration of rigorous scientific information, practical management strategies, and clear policy directives. Dr. Tissot’s research is focused on the interface between biology, management, and policy. He examines ecological interactions between habitat and commercially important marine fishes and invertebrates, and the role of the community in managing marine resources. Through collaboration with state, federal, and international agencies, he is involved in a range of activities including basic research, research with implications towards resource management, and environmental policy development.
In Hawaii, Dr. Tissot and his colleagues have improved the management of the aquarium fishery along the Kona coast by developing a collaborative research program with the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, University of Hawaii SeaGrant, University of Hawaii Hilo, and the local community. Working with the Hawaii State Legislature, Dr. Tissot was involved in the establishment of nine marine protected areas developed to minimize conflicts between aquarium fish collectors and the local community. Using a community-based management approach combined with underwater scuba surveys, he helped establish and monitor the long-term success of protected areas, which have resulted in a 48 percent increase in aquarium fish populations since 1999, an enhancement of the local fishery, and a decline in user conflicts.
Groundfish populations (such as rockfish, lingcod, and other bottom dwelling fishes) and their associated deep-sea fisheries on the continental shelves of Washington, Oregon, and California are at an all time low. Working in collaboration with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service; Fish and Wildlife departments in these states; and with several universities and non-profit organizations, Dr. Tissot and his team are exploring, mapping, and quantifying groundfish habitats using submersibles at depths down to 3,500 ft. Specifically, they are examining the role of deep-sea invertebrates, especially cold water corals, and how they may be important as habitat (food, shelter, or other interactions) for commercially important fishes. Information from his work has been used to formulate management strategies for west coast bottom trawling and in the development of legislation in Congress.
Dr. Tissot’s long-term goals are to develop a generalized understanding of linkages between science, management, and policy in order to develop stable and effective resource management strategies. These strategies include training students, scientists, managers, and the general public to think holistically and to develop collaborative partnerships to solve societal problems.
Contact
Information
Brian N. Tissot, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Earth and Environmental Science
14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98686-9600
Telephone: 360-546-9611
E-mail: tissot@wsu.edu
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