For 35 years, Pioneer Valley-bred Steve Murawski has studied some of the most complicated species in the sea: fish. He once worked on a swordfish boat. He served as a respected scientist during some of the most fractious debates over the future of New England’s fishing industry. He was a key scientific voice for the Obama administration during the Deepwater Horizon spill disaster.
Now, after rising to become the top scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Murawski is retiring to go back to his first love, research. He will become a fisheries and ecosystem research professor at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg. We caught up with Murawski for a reflection on his career — and fish. Here are edited responses:
Why did you go into fishery science?
I wanted to be an oceanographer and particularly a fishery scientist since my high school days in Northampton, Mass., when I read a scientific article on how to determine the age of fish. I also wanted to be involved in the practical aspects of science that have meaningful outcomes for people and the environment.
Have you ever fished, and if so, what and where?
As a boy I always enjoyed sport fishing, but over the years there has been less time for that. I fished commercially on a swordfish harpooner out of Gloucester during college, which was a tremendous experience that helped me understand how fisheries fit into the fabric of local communities and exposed me to an industry I would eventually help regulate.
Read the complete interview from The Boston Globe.