Saving Seafood

Dr. Kevin Stokesbury Appointed Dean at UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology

May 24, 2023 — Dr. Kevin Stokesbury has been appointed Dean of the School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. As Dean, he will ensure that SMAST continues to play a leading role in both research and educating students in the marine sciences.

Kevin began at UMass Dartmouth in 1998 as an associate fellow in the then-named Center for Marine Science and Technology and currently holds the rank of commonwealth professor. He served as founding chair of the Department of Fisheries Oceanography for twelve years.

Kevin’s extensive research portfolio, and roughly $40 million in grants during the past two decades, examines the impacts on marine ecosystems from fishing and energy development efforts. His research focuses on sea scallop and groundfish resources, including stock assessments, fishery management strategies, and growth and mortality estimates. Kevin’s dedication to collaborating with the fishing industry earned him the David H. Wallace Award from the National Shellfish Association in 2013, and he was named the Standard-Times “SouthCoast Man of the Year” in 2018.

Kevin is involved in several professional organizations, including serving as chair of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Scallop Assessment Working Group from 2013 to 2018, upcoming chair of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Committee on Offshore Science and Assessment, and president-elect of the National Shellfisheries Association.

Kevin was recently awarded over $1.4 million in grants for sea scallop research from NOAA’s Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

Safety training set in New Bedford for commercial fishermen

November 10th, 2016 — Fishing Partnership Support Services is once again bringing safety training for commercial fishermen to New Bedford.

The partnership will hold safety and survival training on Thursday, Nov. 17, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the School for Marine Science and Technology at UMass Dartmouth, 706 S. Rodney French Boulevard.

The next day, Friday, Nov. 18, the partnership will offer drill conductor training at the same location from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A team of certified marine safety instructors will lead both programs, which are being offered to fishermen at no cost. The Coast Guard and the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership are supporting both events.

Topics to be covered during the first training include: on-board firefighting, man-overboard procedures, flooding and pump operations, flares and emergency positioning devices, survival suits, life raft equipment, helicopter hoist-and-rescue procedures and emergency aid.

Lunch will be provided to all participants, courtesy of Ocean Marine Insurance Agency. Cape VNA will offer free vaccines and health screenings during the lunch break.

The drill conductor training prepares and certifies fishermen to conduct emergency drills at sea, as federal regulations require monthly drills on commercial fishing boats operating farther than three nautical miles from shore. Emergency situations addressed in this training include: man overboard, fire, damage control and abandon ship.

Read the full story at The New Bedford Standard-Times