May 10, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Mr. Robert Glenn, Dr. Amy Schueller and Lieutenant Conservation Officer Zane Batten with its Annual Awards of Excellence for their outstanding contributions to science and law enforcement along the Atlantic coast.

“Every year a great many people contribute to the success of fisheries management along the Atlantic coast. The Commission’s Annual Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding efforts by professionals who have made a difference in the way we manage and conserve our fisheries,” said ASMFC Chair Douglas Grout of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “This evening, we honor several exceptional individuals for their contributions to the management and conservation of Atlantic coast fisheries.”

Scientific & Technical Contributions

Mr. Robert Glenn, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

Mr. Robert Glenn has dedicated his career to furthering our understanding of American lobster – its biology, environmental drivers and limitations, and how best to model and predict its stock condition. For more than two decades, Mr. Glenn has provided leadership on the Commission’s American Lobster Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee. Over this 20-year span, he contributed to a total of four lobster benchmark stock assessments and served as the lead scientist on two of those assessments. His considerable investment in our stock assessment process has helped to develop new and improved ways to analyze data and model population dynamics, as well as assess the effects of climate change on the lobster population. Mr. Glenn’s analysis of spatial shifts in fishing effort in the Massachusetts fishery south of Cape Cod was among the earliest indicators of movement by female lobsters into cooler, deeper water. He found that movement of egg bearing female lobsters into more offshore waters could be expected to cause drastic changes in lobster larval recruitment patterns and collapse of the Buzzards Bay fishery. His leadership, knowledge and insight on the Southern New England lobster resources were instrumental in bringing together all of the other information pertinent to fully document the region’s lobster recruitment failure. 

Underlying these accomplishments are Mr. Glenn’s calm and supportive leadership which fostered harmonious and productive working relationships between Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee members, even as stock conditions in Southern New England deteriorated and controversies arose.  He was also instrumental in enhancing relationships between the Commission, state agencies, National Marine Fisheries Service, Canadian and academic scientists and industry groups. Mr. Glenn has consistently performed in an exemplary manner, gracefully dealing with a contentious, complex and confounding species management program. Throughout it all, he has maintained a balanced view and approach to lobster management. His efforts and leadership have advanced our understanding of the American lobster resource and provided us with a solid scientific foundation to manage American lobster for years to come.

Dr. Amy Schueller, NOAA Fisheries Beaufort Laboratory

In only a short period of time, Dr. Amy Schueller with NOAA Fisheries Beaufort Laboratory has made notable contributions to Atlantic menhaden science and management. As the lead assessment scientist for the 2015 Atlantic menhaden benchmark stock assessment, Dr. Schueller took on the formidable task of assessing the high profile and controversial forage species. Through consideration of new and existing datasets and exploration of alternative model configurations, the 2015 assessment ushered in a new period of unprecedented support for menhaden science from industry, NGOs and the public. In addition to her participation on the Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee, Stock Assessment Subcommittee and Biological Ecological Reference Points Workgroup, Dr. Schueller actively pursues research relevant to menhaden science and management. Some recent pursuits and publications include securing grant money in support of recovering old menhaden tagging data; dedicating time and effort in support of the Beaufort Lab’s menhaden data collection program; conducting research on age-structured movement and mortality of Atlantic menhaden as well as trends in relative abundance and early life survival. 

In just five years Dr. Schueller has greatly improved our understanding of Atlantic menhaden. Imagine how much more she will achieve and how much more the fisheries science and management process has to gain from her accomplishments.

Law Enforcement Contributions

Lieutenant Conservation Officer Zane Batten with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of law Enforcement

Lieutenant Conservation Officer Zane Batten has been with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Law Enforcement for nearly 25 years. First as a volunteer Deputy Conservation Officer, next as a Lt. C.O. for the Special Investigations Unit, where he served for five years and lastly as District supervisor. Lt. Batten is being recognized for his efforts on behalf of the Special Investigation Unit, where he worked on several cases of magnitude that resulted in both domestic and international charges. Two cases in particular exemplify Lt. Batten’s perseverance, self-sacrifice and dedication to resource conservation. 

In the first case, Lt. Batten was instrumental in identifying fishermen involved in the illegal commercialization of elvers. As he worked to document the activities of the fishermen, Lt. Batten was also able to gain the trust of a number of large buyers who were knowingly purchasing illegally harvested eels for export overseas. Spanning three years, the investigation uncovered a multi-million dollar black market in elvers and exposed the identities of numerous fishermen and buyers, from Florida to Maine, that were involved in the black market.  The charging and prosecution of those involved is still pending.

During another case, Lt. Batten coordinated a joint investigation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission involving the illegal commercialization of striped bass from Delaware Bay. The investigation, which spanned two years, identified an organized ring of 8 commercial fishermen illegally selling striped bass to a seafood store. Both criminal and civil charges were filed, with the maximum fine for all charges filed in excess of $3.4 million.

Named New Jersey’s Conservation Officer of the Year in 2014, Lt. Batten is widely respected by his fellow officers and colleagues. His commitment to ensuring our fisheries management regulations are being upheld is notable and worth recognition.