Cate O’Keefe, a PhD student at SMAST, took the top award at the Annual Science Conference of the world’s largest marine science and advisory body, in Berlin.
In her paper, she noted that "crises in the fishing industry have caused distrust between fishers and fishery scientists" but even in the midst of crises, "fishers and scientists have found ways to work together…" She noted that "the success of cooperative research hinges on participation from the fishing industry throughout the entirety of the research programme, from project design to data analysis."
Over 650 marine scientists met in Berlin to discuss the status and future of the oceans. There were approximately 390 papers in the conference, and Cate’s was judged to be the best.
Many of her colleagues anticipated that Cate had a good shot to win the ‘newcomer award’ for students, but described her winning the best presentation as "remarkable" for someone her age.
In her Ph.D. studies, Cate is studying sea scallop management, and she serves as a member is a member of the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) Scallop Planning Development Team (PDT). This was her first presentation at ICES, which is the primary Fisheries organization for the North Atlantic. To win the "best paper award" is outstanding.
Read more at Saving Seafood.