It’s easy to develop pessimism when working with ocean conservation, so it’s important to remember: there are loads of success stories!

For this assignment, we had to make a concise presentation about a fisheries success story, and I selected Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.

A surprise guest joined our lecture: Dr. Daniel Pauly, one of the world’s most respected marine conservationist!  Needless to say, presenting to Dr. Pauly was a tad intimidating, but he gave us great feedback on our presentations.  His feedback reminded many of us to address the global scope of fisheries when considering the successes. For example: Are the fish migrating in from another location?  How is climate change affecting this species?

With both Prof. Amanda Vincent and Dr. Pauly in attendance, it was truly an honor to present to such a world class audience.