Fisheries Ecology & Conservation provides students with the essential conservation science education in the biology and ecology of fish and other aquatic animals as well as the freshwater and marine ecosystems in which they reside. This involves learning about the structure and function of aquatic systems and their inhabitants; how to manage, conserve and restore fish and aquatic animal populations and their habitats; how to develop sustainable fisheries programs; effects of land use, water flow and contaminants on aquatic ecosystem health and fish community structure; and how to conserve and enhance biological diversity. Becoming a fisheries professional requires talent, personal commitment, enthusiasm, sound technical training, and special skills. An essential component of the concentration involves obtaining hands-on field skills as part of the coursework, and field experiences from summer jobs, internships, and cooperative education positions with state, federal, and international conservation organizations. Our curriculum will provide the knowledge and skills necessary for entry-level employment in fisheries conservation professions, or to continue graduate training in fisheries ecology and conservation biology. This concentration also provides the training and coursework required to qualify for professional certification by the American Fisheries Society. In addition, an undergraduate can earn a certificate in marine sciences through the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Program.
Additional courses required for the concentration:
BIOLOGY 280 Evolution and Diversity of Life BIOLOGY 542 Ichthyology NRC 210 Aquatic Sampling and Identification NRC 211 Animal Sampling and Identification NRC 470 Fish Ecology NRC 571 Fisheries Science and Management NRC 597I Aquatic Ecology Choose From – NRC 592G Geographic Information Systems and 597G GIS Lab, NRC 577 Ecosystem Modeling and Simulation, NRC 534 Forest Measurements, STATISTCS 501 Methods of Applied Statistics, EDUC 555 Introduction to Statistics and Computer Analysis I or Math 127 Calculus I
Fisheries Ecology & Conservation Concentration Curriculum
| First Year: Fall Semester | Credits | First Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro Environment elective | 4a | ENGLWRIT 112 Coll. Writing | 3 |
| Intro Biology elective I (BS) | 4b | Intro Biology elective II (BS) | 3/4/5b |
| MATH 104 or 101/102 (R1) | 3 or 3/3 | GEOLOGY 103 Oceanography | 4 |
| Gen Ed (AT/AL/HS+DU/DG) | 4 | Gen Ed (AT/AL/HS+DU/DG) | 4 |
| First Year Seminar | 1 | NRC 225 Forest Ecology and Cons. | 3 |
| Total Credits | 14-15 | 15-17 |
| Sophmore Year: Fall Semester | Credits | Sophmore Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRC 260 Fish. Cons. & Mgt. | 3 | NRC 360 Evolution & Conserv. | 4e |
| NRC 214 Fish Sampling & ID | 2 | NRC 261 Wildlife Cons. | 3 |
| Built Environment elective | 4c | NRC 211 Wildlife Sampling & ID | 2 |
| NRC 240 Quantitative Ecology | 3d | Ecology elective | 4f |
| Chemistry 111 (PS) | 4 | NRC 309 Nat. Res. Policy | 3 |
| Total Credits | 16 | 16 |
| Junior Year: Fall Semester | Credits | Junior Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resource Economics elective (SB) | 4g | Physical Science elective | 4h |
| NRC 570 Ecology of Fish (odd years) | 4 | NRC 571 Fish. Sci. Mgt. (even years) | 4 |
| BIOL 542 Ichthyology or alternative | 4 | NAT-SCI 387 CNS Jr. Writing | 3 |
| NRC 585 Introduction to GIS | 4 | Quantitative elective | 3/4i |
| Total Credits | 16 | 14-15 |
| Senior Year: Fall Semester | Credits | Senior Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated Experience elective (IE) | 4j | Coursework to complete 120 total credits | |
| NRC 560 Aquatic Ecology or NRC 580/582 | 4k | ||
| Communication elective | 4l | ||
| Elective | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | 15 |
To qualify as an Associate Fisheries Professional by the American Fisheries Society please refer to their website. Students generally need to include two additional physical science courses, such as to qualify. Check with your advisor for appropriate options. Also consider the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Certificate.
a Intro. Environment elective – NRC 100 (SI, fall) preferred, NRC 185 (I, spring) and ENVIRSCI 101 (BS, fall) accepted
b Intro. Bio. elective – BIOL 151 & 152 (153 lab optional) (strongly recommend), or STOCKSCH 108 (f) & BIOL 110 (s)
c Built Environment elective – NRC 275, BCT 150, GEOGRAPH 372, SUSTCOMM 125 or 574.
e Evolution option (when NRC360 is not available) – BIOL 280 (a C or better in BIO 151 & 152 req)
f Ecology elective – ENVIRSCI 214 preferred (s), 547, 566, 590IE, or BIOLOGY 287 (f, s) accepted
g Resources Economics elective –RES-ECON 263 Natural Resources Econ (f) or RES-ECON 262 Environmental Econ (s)
h Physical Science elective – CHEM 112 (f,s), 250 (s), PHYSICS 100 (f,s), 118 (f), 131 (f,s), 139 (f), ASTRON 100 (f,s), 101 (f), 105 (s)
i Quantitative elective – upper level statistics, math, or spatial data course, with permission - ex. STATS 501 (f,s), EDUC 555 (f), NRC 577 (Ecosystem Modelling, f), MATH 127 (Calculus), etc. Other courses considered with permission from your faculty advisor
j Integrated Experience elective – NRC 382, 394EI, 494EI, 494GI or 494JI, or ENVIRSCI 445 (s) or 494JI – offerings vary each semester
k Students must take either: NRC 580 Conservation Genetics or NRC 560 Aquatic Ecology (but both are recommended if available). NRC 582 Ecophysiology will be accepted by exception
l Communication elective options – NRC 492A (f), or COMM 118,121,122,125,140, 250, 260, COMP-LIT 290T, ENG 379, JOURNAL 201, or 292N
*Note: many COMM 100-level courses are limited to first years and sophomores only!
Concentration Contact
Associate Professor of Marine Ecology