8/3/2019 Syllabus NRS349 F10
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Fisheries Science & ManagementNRS349 Fall, 2010 Syllabus
Description: A study of exploited populations of fish and other
aquatic organisms. Theory and methods of
defining fish growth, survival, mortality, abundance, and
community interactions will be
emphasized. Wisconsin, Great Lakes, and marine fisheries will be
addressed. Pre-requisite
BIO234. 4 Credits
Outcomes: At the end of this class you will be able to ...
1. Explain a conceptual model for the population dynamics of a
stock.2. Develop and apply length-weight relations.3. Compute and
interpret size structure indices.4. Compute and interpret condition
indices.5. Estimate abundance from mark-recapture data.6. Estimate
mortality from catch-at-age data.7.
Estimate growth from length-at-age data.8. Fit stock-recruitment
curves.
9. Describe the components of the fisheries management
environment and the relationshipsbetween those components.
10.Describe the steps in and components of the fisheries
management process.11.Describe how the concept of common property
influences the behavior of fishers.12.Explain the purposes,
strengths and limitations for a variety of management tools
(including
length limits, bag limits, closed seasons, refuges, stocking,
ITQs, and catch shares).
Location: Center for the Science and Environment, Room 236
Time: MTW 1200-1250; T 0700-1050
Instructor: Dr. Derek H. Ogle
Contact: CSE239; 682-1300; [email protected] Hours: MWF
1300-1350 or by appointment
Web Page: www.ncfaculty.net/dogle/ then select Fisheries Science
& Management.
Communication: All class-related communication from me will be
distributed to you via your Northland e-mail.
Textbook: There is no text for this course. Instead, I will
provide PDF documents that, taken as a whole,
will serve as readings for the topics of this course. These
documents will be made available for
download on the class web page. I expect that you will read the
materials provided.
Computing: We will use computers extensively in this class.
Thus, you will need a computer account to use
the Northland computer labs. All homework problems and reports
must be typed, in LaTeX, Lyx,
or MSWord. In addition, we will analyze fisheries data using the
R statistical language. R can beinstalled on your personal computer
by downloading (for free) the installation file from the R
Resources for Northland College link on the class webpage. You
will also need the NCStats,
FSAdata, and FSA packages (from R Resources webpage) and all
packages that they depend
on (from CRAN). See the R FAQ page for more information on how
to acquire and install R and
the required packages. Note that when using R on your personal
computer it works best with
(but does not require) an internet connection.
Accomm- Students in need of academic or medical accommodation
should contact Patti Fenner-Leino,
odations: Disabilities Coordinator, ext. 1230, Ponzio Center Rm.
229, [email protected].
http://www.ncfaculty.net/dogle/http://www.ncfaculty.net/dogle/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ncfaculty.net/dogle/
8/3/2019 Syllabus NRS349 F10
3/3
Level: This course is a 300-level science course. As such you
are expected to complete assignments in
a mature, concise, and complete way. I expect that you know what
this means by this stage of
your career but the items below provide direct statements of
what I expect of you.
1) You will read the readings. Part of being a scientist is
being able to extract direction from written materials.2) You will
answer the questions that I ask. For example, if the question asks
you to comment on the steepness of
the slope, the initial cpe, and shape of the model then I expect
to see answers to all three of these items.
3) You will reflect on knowledge or expectations from previous
questions on subsequent questions. Forexample, if the first
question asks what happens to the Leslie model and lists in
parentheses what that meansthen every other time you are asked what
happens to the Leslie model you will perform the same items
listed
in parentheses. As another example, if question 6.3 explains
that you should use the q factor slider to model a
changing catchability between removal events then you will know
in question 6.5, when you are asked to model
a changing catchability between removal events, that you will
use the q factor slider.
4) You will, as scientists do, speak explicitly. For example, If
mortality is included in the model then q and No arenot estimated
very accurately at all is not an explicit statement. The inaccuracy
needs to be stated explicitly
If mortality is included in the model then q is overestimated
and No is underestimated. As another example,
it appears that there isnt a bias is not explicit. A better
statement is it appears that there is not a bias in q
because the mean of q for the many samples (green line in Figure
2) is nearly equal to the true value of q (red
line in Figure 2) is much better. As another example, the q and
No are related is not explicit. A better answer
is that the estimated catchability coefficient (q) and estimated
initial population size (No) are inversely related
as evident by the negative relationship shown in Figure 3.
5) Do not use it. The use of it in a sentence is generally not
explicit. For example, it changeddramatically is not a useful
construction. What is it replace it with what it is. Very few of us
writeaccurately enough to make it clear what it is, so just put
what it is into the sentence.
6) You will, as scientists do, speak exactly. For example, the
distribution is normal is not an exact statementwhen examining a
histogram. The distribution appears to be approximately normal may
be a correct
statement.
7) Your will defend your statements. For example, The initial
cpe increases is not a defended statement. RatherThe initial cpe
increases as can be seen by the relatively higher left-hand-side of
the blue line in Figure 2
compared to the gray line is a defended statement. Scientific
results are based on evidence not faith.
8) You will not create statements that clearly rely on results
that are not shown. In other words, if you say theline is steeper
then there better be a figure referred to and presented in your
write-up.
9) You will label figures (beneath the figure) and tables (above
the table) with appropriate labels. For example,Figure 2.
Increasing level of q is not an appropriate label. This label does
not say what model you are using
(Leslie), what q was increased to, etc.
10) You will proofread and spell-check your document. Handing in
poorly stated document full of misspellings,poor grammar, etc. is
disrespectful to me and makes you look unprofessional (scientists
speak carefully and in
exact terms). When you graduate from Northland you will be
expected to write clearly but more importantly
you will need to demonstrate that you can pay attention to
detail. If you need help with writing then you may
want to see a writing tutor. I will not accept assignments that
are clearly not proofread.
11) You will use complete sentences to answer a question. For
example, 71 is not a correct answer. A betteranswer is The total
number of fish in the sample is 71. These sentences are good
practice for you and, more
importantly, they, when coupled with statements of evidence (see
#8) will make it easier for you to understand
what you did.
12) You will not ramble. Scientists answer questions succinctly.
I do not want to see every thought that you hadabout a question.
Sort through your thoughts and put your final answer. Students tend
to ramble because they
are throwing darts hoping that at least one of their answers is
correct. If you have questions about what the
question is about then ask me.
13) You are expected to ask questions of me. I make myself
available throughout the day and via e-mail in theevenings and on
the weekends. I will answer your questions.
14) You will use scientific names. The scientific names of
organisms should be used when the species commonname is first
mentioned in the writing. The scientific name is not use after the
first mention.
15) Common names will not be capitalized. Unless it is at the
beginning of a sentence the common names ofanimals should be
printed in lower case e.g., largemouth bass, not Largemouth Bass.
Some exceptions are if
the name contains a word that would otherwise be capitalized
e.g., Caspian carp or Eurasian watermilfoil.
16) You will not use the word since unless you are referring to
time. It is common in everyday language to usethe word since in
place of because e.g., since it is cloudy and thundering it is
likely to rain. The word
since should be reserved for when referring to time e.g., since
yesterday it has rained 1 inch. The word
because is reserved for when an explanation is being offered
e.g., it rained because a cold front came
through the area.
