February 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Black History Month is observed every February to recognize the history and achievements of African Americans and their central role in our nation’s history. As we celebrate this year, we’d like to highlight the extraordinary research and important contributions of African Americans at NOAA Fisheries. Trailblazers like Dr. Ambrose Jearld, one of NOAA’s first African American fisheries biologists, led the way for many young scientists and specialists to pursue their dreams and their passion for marine and environmental science. Check out these interviews with our colleagues to learn more about their contributions to NOAA.
Watch this video featuring Dr. Ambrose Jearld
Larry Alade, Research Fisheries Biologist
Larry’s primary role as research fisheries biologist is to investigate and develop scientific tools to assess the health of fish populations in the region to inform and advise the federal fishery management process. This involves studying and monitoring changes in fish abundance, distribution and demographics (i.e. size, age, sex etc.), measuring and quantifying impacts of fishing activity and understanding biological and physical processes within the ecosystem that contribute to the observed changes in the fishery resource.
He first came to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center as an intern after completing his master’s degree in applied computer science. He later returned to the Science Center while earning his doctoral degree. After finishing his Ph.D., the Science Center hired him in 2008 to work for the Population Dynamics Branch assessing groundfish stocks. Larry is a 2020 John Bullard Diversity Award winner.