Melissa Smith
Project - Assessing the distribution, feeding ecology and habitat usage of monkfish (Lophius americanus) within the Western Gulf of Maine Closures Area (WGMCA).
Advisors: Dr. Phil Yund (UNE) and Dr. Jonathan Grabowski (Gulf of Maine Research Institute)
Committee: Dr. Stephen Zeeman (UNE)
Melissa was the first Marine Science graduate student at UNE when the program started in 2002. Her project tested the effects of the Western Gulf of Maine Closed Area (WGMCA) on the diet and abundance of monkfish in different types of habitats. The work involved trawl sampling of both adult and juvenile monkfish combined with a laboratory analysis of stomach contents.
Melissa's thesis resulted in the following manuscript:
Smith, M.D., Grabowski, J.H., and P.O. Yund. The role of closed areas
in rebuilding monkfish populations in the Gulf of Maine. In press at
ICES Journal of Marine Science.
After graduation from UNE, Melissa completed a graduate program at Dalhousie University for a Masters of Marine Management with a focus in fisheries management. She is currently working with lobsters for the Maine Department of SMarine Resources in Boothbay, Maine.
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