The Southeast Fisheries Science Center, in conjunction with the National Academies Research Associateship Program, is offering a postdoctoral research opportunity to assess the status of estuaries and coastal habitats for fish populations in the United States. The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Laboratory in Galveston has conducted extensive research on habitat associations of juvenile fishery species in Gulf coast estuaries and is actively working on measuring habitat-related growth and mortality for selected species. Our current goal is to develop mathematical models to link habitat characteristics with fishery productivity, and this position requires an ecosystem modeler to advance our understanding of habitat and fishery connections. This research will be part of a coordinated multiregional assessment of estuaries and coastal habitats of the United States in support of the National Fish Habitat Action plan (NFHAP). This particular research opportunity will cover the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, and the associate is expected to advance NFHAP objectives by 1) integrating NOAA FisheriesÂ’ habitat classification system, land use/land cover data, hydrologic data, and water quality assessments to develop indicators of habitat condition and 2) testing the utility of these indicators with data on the abundance of well-studied taxa as well as historical and current species compositions. The NFHAP goal is to use this approach to prioritize management actions (e.g., protection, restoration) for each region.
This position will be for one year with possibility of extension for an additional year. Applicants should have a broad knowledge of fish-habitat relationships and estuarine and marine ecology. Application details can be found at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/rap/. Research opportunity number is 26.03.05.B7134. The deadline for the first round of review is May 1. If interested, please contact Tom Minello Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Galveston TX (409) 766-3506 tom.mine...@noaa.gov
