Stock Identification Methods: Applications in Fishery Science

Lisa Kerr is a fisheries ecologist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (Portland, ME). Lisa is broadly interested in understanding the structure and dynamics of fish populations, with the goal of enhancing our ability to sustainably manage fisheries and ecosystems as a whole. She is particularly motivated to identify complex stock structure and understand the role it plays in the stability and resilience of local and regional populations. Lisa employs a diverse skill set to address critical ecological questions related to population structure that are also directly applicable to fisheries management. Her expertise includes structural analysis of fish hard parts (e.g. otoliths, vertebrae) and the application of the chemical methods (stable isotope, radioisotope, and trace element analysis) to these structures. She also uses mathematical modeling as a tool to understand how biocomplexity within fish stocks (e.g., spatial structure, connectivity, life cycle diversity) impacts their response to natural climatic oscillations, climate change, fishing, and management measures.