Lunch & Learn: Fish, Microplastics, and Marine Protected Areas

The Grice Marie Lab. /Photo courtesy of College of Charleston.

On Wednesday, Aug. 30, join speaker Gorka Sancho for a "Lunch and Learn" at noon in the Hatfield Marine Science Center's Library Seminar Room (2030 SE Marine Science Dr. in Newport). Gorka Sancho works with the Grice Marine Laboratory at the College of Charleston (South Carolina). They will discuss their research on the behavioral ecology of marine fishes, microplastics, fishing, and marine protected areas.

About the talk:

"There are many threats to fish populations in the world, but none as direct as fishing pressure. I will present data from various studies looking at how do various commercial and recreational fishing activities affect fish communities and how different fishing practices alter the behavioral ecology and mortality of fishes. I will mainly present data from tropical tuna purse seiners using drifting fish aggregating devices and southwestern Atlantic coastal recreational fisheries targeting sharks from vessels and shore. Also, I will show data on the threat of microplastic contamination and ingestion by estuarine fishes near urban centers, which pose diverse degrees of threat to different species, depending on their feeding ecology and behavior. Finally, I hope to highlight and discuss the importance of marine protected areas as tools to both allow to study fish behavioral ecology and to ensure that undisturbed fish communities can exist in a world of ever-expanding fishing activities."