LMRCSC Graduate Earns Position with NOAA Fisheries
Congrats are in order for LMRCSC and University of Maryland Eastern Shore graduate, Stephanie Martinez-Rivera. In November, Stephanie started her new Fisheries Biologist position with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The marine scientist, who received her doctoral degree in Marine, Estuarine & Environmental Science in December 2018, now works for NOAA’s Fisheries Statistics Division in Miami, FL.
Stephanie’s primary duties include keeping track of data received from fishermen and scientists regarding fish in both the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic Ocean.
“My responsibilities include processing and manipulating data from different surveys,” stated Martinez-Rivera. “NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center has two main programs for gaining fisheries data and I assess the data yielded from both of them. One method is the logbook program where fishermen are selected to keep a record of their catch and gear for each trip when they are on the boat, versus the other method, the observer program, which consists of scientists and biologists recording the information instead of the fishermen.”
The NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center uses both scientists, biologists, and fishermen to collect and record data. With the observer program, biologists or scientists, travel on boats with fishermen and record the data as fish are caught. What type of fish are caught, their measurements, and what is discarded, are all documented by the biologists and scientists. This information comes primarily from the Gulf of Mexico, whereas the logbook program consists of fishermen recording this information themselves, with the data coming from the South Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
“With both methods, NOAA records a number of data regarding what is caught, including what fish are discarded, how many were discarded and if any fish were dead upon being released,” stated Stephanie.
When asked about any advice she would give current LMRCSC students, Stephanie stated, “I would encourage students, when applying for federal positions, apply at least one year prior to graduation. USAJobs.gov provides a great number of opportunities, but the hiring process is long, so have patience and do not get discouraged.”
Stephanie received her B.S. in Coastal Marine Biology in 2012 from the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus. She joined the LMRCSC in January 2014 under the advisement of Dr. Bradley Stevens. Her research focused on reproductive biology and histology of deep-sea red crabs (Chaceon quinquedens). Prior to completing her doctoral degree, she completed a 12 week NOAA Experiential Research & Training Opportunity (NERTO) internship project titled, Eastern Bering Sea Crab Survey training for CSC Graduate Student, at NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Kodiak Lab., AK, where Dr. Chris Long was her mentor.
In addition to her numerous accolades, Ms. Martinez-Rivera was also the first recipient of the NOAA LMRCSC’s Scott B. Gudes Public Service Graduate Scholarship in Marine Resource Conservation in 2017.
The LMRCSC is happy to see Stephanie growing her career in fisheries. We are excited to see her soar to new heights and wish her nothing but success!
