Halmos Faculty Reappointed as Federal Fisheries Advisor

In January 2021, Halmos faculty member David Kerstetter, Ph.D. was reappointed as Technical Advisor to the U.S. ICCAT Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC meets twice per year, usually in the Washington, D.C. region. Kerstetter has been serving on the committee as a Member or Technical Advisor since 2007.

This is a federally appointed position that helps set U.S. international management and

policy positions in the Atlantic. ICCAT is the international fishery management organization for all Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS), including tunas, billfish, swordfish, and open-ocean sharks like our mascot’s shortfin mako.  The U.S. ICCAT Advisory Committee is charged with helping formulate our international policy towards the management of these species, and only 20 member appointments are made over two-year terms to represent the various U.S. HMS commercial, recreational, environmental, and scientific constituencies.  As you know, my lab works primarily with HMS fishes and the commercial HMS fisheries, including being one of the founding members of the Pelagic Ecosystem Research Consortium funded by NOAA Sea Grant.