1988 - Susan Kingsbury

When I was an undergraduate, Dr. David Hankin advised me that I could open many professional doors by developing my quantitative skills; I followed his advice and have been fortunate to have many interesting opportunities since graduating from Humboldt. Importantly, having quantitative skills has broadened, not limited, my field and travel experience. After leaving Humboldt, I attended the both the University of Washington, where I received an M.S. in Fisheries, and the University of California's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where I received a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography. As a graduate student, I mostly took classes with quantitative emphases ( e.g. , population dynamics and mathematical statistics), but to complete my research I traveled extensively. I interviewed recreational anglers in Washington 's San Juan Islands ; I measured and tagged crabs onboard a commercial fishing vessel working in Antarctic waters; and I participated in scientific meetings in Australia and Europe . All these experiences were precipitated from my quantitative skills; I worked in the field to collect data for various models I was developing, and I participated in meetings to provide quantitative, scientific advice to Antarctic fishery managers. While working on my Ph.D., I was a full time Fishery Biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

After receiving my Ph.D., my work opportunities expanded further. First, I worked as a Senior Scientist for the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. With the IATTC, I was responsible for assessing tuna stocks (e.g., using models to estimate their abundance) in the eastern tropical Pacific, and I participated in scientific meetings around the Pacific Rim and in Europe . I also traveled throughout Central and South America to observe how data (e.g., length frequencies and species compositions) are collected from commercial tuna fishing vessels. Most recently, I have, again, been working for the National Marine Fisheries Service. I currently supervise a small team of researchers that is studying how conditions in the ocean influence the production of California 's Chinook and coho salmon stocks. Our team builds mathematical and statistical models that require data collected from tagging studies, and we actively work with commercial salmon trawlers to tag fish off the coast of California . Although most of my current research effort is focused on salmon, I continue to collaborate on problems that relate to the management of Antarctic marine living resources and highly migratory species like tunas.

I am currently a Fisheries Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and work in the Western Washington Office located in Olympia , Washington . I received my B.S. in Fisheries Management from Cal Poly Humboldt in 1990 and a M.S. in Fisheries Science from the University of Washington (1994). I've been employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Region 1 for the past 14 years where I began my career as a field technician in the Arcata, California field office, followed by a summer focused on fish health issues in Olympia , Washington . At the University of Washington , where I was a Co-op Education student, I studied the effects of reduced oxygen on trout embryonic development.

In my current position, which I have had for the past 10 years, I have focused on salmon harvest management issues. I have contributed to the development of a method to estimate mortalities of coho salmon in proposed selective and non-selective fisheries, providing a means of evaluating the impacts of interjurisdictional and local selective fisheries on depressed coho salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest . I am currently working with State, Tribal and Canadian biologists and statisticians in a coast-wide coho salmon cohort-reconstruction effort which will be used to update the pre-season fishery harvest model currently used in fishery negotiations and assessments in the region.

1990 - Choo Guan Yeoh

After graduating from Humboldt I moved to MD and obtained an M.S. in Wildlife Management from Frostburg State University, where I studied the response of herpetological communities to timber harvest and prescribed burning. My findings were published in the American Midland Naturalist. While finishing my thesis I was employed by the Appalachian Environmental Laboratory to work on a statewide survey to assess the status of biological resources in Maryland 's nontidal streams. I returned to CA in 1995 and have worked for several private consulting firms, USFWS , CA Dept. of Fish and Game, and most recently, Caltrans. I find I do best in the field, where the politics don’t get in the way. Recently, I moved to California’s beautiful Smith River Country and will likely be involved in salmonid research in the near future.

1992 - Christopher Coyle

1993 - Jeanine Elderkin

Since graduating from Cal Poly Humboldt , I have had the opportunity to work within the environmental field. For the first couple of years, I actually worked within my discipline (fisheries) with the California Department of Fish and Game as a scientific aide in Northern California . A job assignment on the Tuscarora Pipeline Project in northeastern California introduced me to environmental compliance inspection work. For the next eight years, I worked across the United States and into Mexico on various large-scale construction projects as an environmental inspector. My background and education in fisheries has helped me significantly, particularly dealing with resource agencies (i.e. understanding their concerns for aquatic resources) and in developing appropriate mitigation and protection measures for water resources affected by these projects.

In 2004 I began my own business, K2 Environmental. I look forward to doing some fisheries work and hope to balance resource work with my compliance inspection services. I have recently moved to Bend , Oregon and look forward to doing lots of “fisheries” work (i.e. fishing) when I'm actually at home. I have been married for five years and have two beautiful daughters.

After graduating form Humboldt in 1995, I worked as a teaching and research assistant at Humboldt until moving to Seattle in 1996 to attend graduate school at University of Washington . I received a full scholarship to attend the School Aquatic and Fisheries Science ( http://www.fish.washington.edu/ ) from the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans (http://tao.atmos.washington.edu/main.html ), and focused my thesis work on the effects of climate variability on marine survival of coho salmon in Puget Sound . This work was done in collaboration with the Washington Department of Fish and Game to improve their coho run-size forecast model by incorporating the effects of variability in ocean temperature and freshwater input on tidal mixing in the Puget Sound estuary. I received my Master of Science degree in Fisheries Science in March of 1999.

In 1998, I accepted a Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) funded PhD scholarship at Oregon State University to study the effects of climate variability on early life growth of sablefish. This retrospective study used otoliths archived at various aging laboratories in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia , and Alaska , as well as otoliths from juveniles collected at sea to determine size at age-1 at the population scale. In late 2001, I took a position with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Arcata , California conducting radio telemetry studies on green sturgeon, coordinating juvenile salmon out-migrant monitoring on the Trinity River , and conducting an eelgrass/mudflat/oyster culture fish community analysis in Humboldt Bay .

I was a re-entry student who went back to school at the age of thirty believing that the health of our fisheries is dependent on sound science, good water quality and responsible land management. The Humboldt Fisheries Program gave me my first academic exposure to those topics and after receiving my Baccalaureate from Humboldt, I furthered my education by obtaining a Master's of Science Degree in Wastewater Utilization, within the Natural Resources in Sciences College, also at Humboldt.

I currently manage the safety and environmental compliance programs for a local solid waste hauler. Before that, I spent four years as the manager of the Yuba/Sutter Local Solid Waste Enforcement Agency (LEA) requiring that I monitor the environmental compliance of solid waste operations within my jurisdiction. At the same time, I taught an evening Biology course at a community college. Also, I have completed a yearlong extensive training program in environmental health that resulted in becoming registered with the California Department of Health Services, a highly sought after certification.

In addition to my professional life, I have been active in many local community activities. I have organized clean-up events and have served on committees designed to address special community solid waste and water issues. In 2003, I chaired the Yuba County Fish & Game Commission and initiated a partnership with the California Coastal Commission to remove 21 tons of illegally dumped material from the Yuba River, the location of the last native steelhead fishery in the world. Before leaving Yuba County, Governor Gray Davis offered me an appointment to serve on one of his commissions based on my community service.

The true fisheries conservationist recognizes that the study of fishes go beyond that of catching and measuring of fish. Fishery students need not be limited in seeking employment with governmental agencies. I believe that it is important that we also seek employment with industries that have impacts on fisheries, because without fish there are no jobs for fishery graduates.

Receiving the Michael G. Scott Award was the highlight of my undergraduate experience at Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt). I worked hard for that and have done well since. I wish all the luck to future Fisheries Students.