If you’re ever thought about volunteering as stakeholder rep at a state fisheries council, or perhaps participating as councilor or commissioner at the regional level – Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council or Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – this 10-week online course from Rutgers Cooperative Extension might right up your alley!
Registration is open through the end of January for the 2026 Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders (IFISSH) course offered through Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Open to anyone interested in New Jersey’s marine fisheries, the objective of IFISSH is to educate stakeholders of New Jersey’s commercial and recreational fisheries so that they will better understand and make progress on issues impacting these industries, including the science, management, and responsible stewardship of fishery resources.
“We will focus on New Jersey’s fisheries while also drawing on regional examples with information being relevant for stakeholders throughout the northeast and beyond,” said Dr. Doug Zemeckis, Associate Professor with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Ten classes will meet via Zoom webinar on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9 p.m. from February 3 through April 7. Each class will include a mixture of presentations with Q&A and open discussion.
February 3: Course Introduction and Fisheries Biology. Dr. Douglas Zemeckis and Dr. Sarah Borsetti (Rutgers University).
February 10: Fisheries Biology. Dr. Thomas “Motz” Grothues and Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (Rutgers University).
February 17: Estuarine Habitats and Fisheries Oceanography. Andrew McGowan (Barnegat Bay Partnership) and Samantha Alaimo (Rutgers University).
February 24: Climate Change Impacts on Fish and Fisheries. Dr. Joe Caracappa (NOAA Fisheries) and Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (Rutgers University).
March 3: Fisheries-Independent Data. Dr. Gregory DeCelles (Ørsted North America), Gregory Hinks (NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife) and Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (Rutgers University).
March 10: Fisheries-Dependent Data. Dr. Richard Cody (NOAA Fisheries), Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (Rutgers University), Karl Vilacoba and Jay Odell (Monmouth University).
March 17: Social and Economic Issues in Fisheries. Dr. Andrew Scheld (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), Dr. Robert Murphy (NOAA Fisheries) and Dr. Rebecca Selden (Wellesley College).
March 24: Introduction to Stock Assessments. Dr. John Wiedenmann, Jenn Gius and Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (Rutgers University).
March 31: Federal and State Fisheries Management. Brandon Muffley (Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council), Mike Celestino and Mike Auriemma (NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife).
April 7: Current Events-Highly Migratory Species & Striped Bass. Dr. Jeff Kneebone (New England Aquarium), Ben Gahagan and Dr. Micah Dean (MA Division of Marine Fisheries).
The deadline for registration is January 30 and the cost is $40 per person. If you’d like a better understanding of how our fish sausages get stuffed at the state, regional and federal level, contact Dina Baudo at dbaudo@co.ocean.nj.us or 732-349-1152 about IFISSH registration.
