2024 Inclusive NOAA Fisheries Internship Projects and Mentors

We’re lining up our opportunities for the 2024 Inclusive NOAA Fisheries Internship (IN FISH). This list will be updated as we get more feedback from mentors and students. For other project ideas, review the research projects IN FISH students completed in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

You may not be matched with your first choice project or mentor. But, we’ll work with mentors to match students to projects and locations where they can be successful.

If you apply to the 2024 program, indicate on your application which mentors or projects interest you. If you secure a spot, we will take your interests into account when we match students with mentors. Soon after we extend offers in March, we will make matches and put students in touch with their mentors to discuss potential projects.

This list will be updated periodically as more mentors and projects become available. We anticipate offering a broad range of projects in a variety of disciplines, including: 

• Data management and analysis
• Outreach and public affairs
• International affairs
• Aquaculture
• Science project administration
• Habitat science
• Law enforcement
• Fish biology and ecology

Email questions to Darius Johnson.

Managing and Analyzing Scientific Data

Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program Data Visualization

Mentor: Sarah Wilkin

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division

Location: Silver Spring, Maryland

Research Interests:

• Data visualization
• Data collection and analysis
• Communication
• Marine mammals
• Health, stranding

The Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program works with more than 100 partners in the national marine mammal stranding network to document and collect basic information on whale, dolphin, seal, and sea lion strandings in the United States. Each year we average more than 5,000 reports, and in some years significantly more.  

Information on these strandings is collected in a centralized database, the NMFS Level A database, hosted by our Office of the Chief Information Officer. This database includes a data visualization tool called Tableau, used to generate custom and pre-programmed reports based on the entered data.  

You will work with our stranding response program team to:

• Understand information collected on marine mammal strandings
• Explore the Tableau tool
• Develop meaningful visualizations to help us tell the story of stranding trends
• Write a manual for using of Tableau with the Level A database.  
• Gain key insights into health data used to inform marine mammal conservation under the Marine Mammal Protection Act
• Sharpen your  skills in data analysis and visualization

Marine Mammals Passive Acoustic Data Analysis

Mentor: Kate Stafford

Institution: Oregon State University

Location: Newport, Oregon

This project uses passive acoustic data to examine marine mammal distribution and seasonal occurrence in the Arctic and off the coast of Oregon and Washington. We use this information to study changes in phenology and presence in conjunction with oceanographic drivers. There is a possibility for  developing artificial intelligence/machine learning techniques.

Student skills sought: 

• Keen interest in the topic
• Excellent written and oral skills
• Creative thinker and team orientation
• Basic computer skills 
• Experience or willingness to learn narrative coding techniques
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines 
• Facility synthesizing qualitative data

Helpful experience or skills:

• Passive acoustic monitoring experience
• R or python skills would be great
• Ability to work independently, spend a lot of time at a computer analyzing and interpreting data
• Experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning 

Using Uncrewed Marine Systems to Support Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in the Hawaiian Islands

Mentor: Jamie Gove, Jon Whitney

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

The Hawaii Integrated Ecosystem Assessment team is leading a study using uncrewed marine systems called “wave gliders.” The wave gliders are circumnavigating each of the Hawaiian Islands, collecting data on ocean conditions that will help us to understand variations in ecosystem health and function as well as help estimate the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and fisheries in the region. The study occurred alongside the Hawaiian Islands Cetacean & Ecosystem Assessment Survey, which collected complimentary physical and biological observations across the state. 

In this internship, you will:

• Directly contribute to analyzing the wave glider data and pairing those data with the HICEAS ship-based observations and satellite measurements
• Have the opportunity for some sea-based fieldwork, to work from small boats, and to travel within the Hawaiian Islands
• Learn valuable data analysis skills
• Support ecosystem-based fisheries management in Hawaii

Helpful experience or skills:

• Coding in Matlab, R, or python
• Ability to work independently to control quality, analyze, visualize, and interpret oceanographic data
• Experience in machine learning or artificial intelligence

Understanding Mammal-Fishery Interactions in Support of Bycatch Reduction and Stock Assessment

Mentor: Amanda Bradford, Elena Duke

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

This project aims to build a data dashboard summarizing marine mammal fishery interactions in support of bycatch reduction and stock assessment in the Pacific Islands. You will work with the NOAA mentors on coding the interaction data, and lead the development of the data dashboard.

The basis of the dashboard is non-confidential data derived from the Pacific Islands Region Observer Program, including injury determinations (see Bradford 2023) and other components of the interaction data that we collect and provide to the False Killer Whale Take Reduction Team and other collaborators and constituents. 

The dashboard – likely an R Shiny app – will allow users to filter and extract data and summaries of interest from a dataset that is maintained by our staff. This tool will allow for greater efficiency, accessibility, and transparency in providing data needed to mitigate the impacts of fisheries interactions on marine mammal populations in the Pacific Islands. 

Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program Data Visualization

Mentors: Marla Hamilton Sarah Wilkin

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources 

Location: Silver Spring, Maryland

Research Interests: 

• Data visualization
• Data collection and analysis
• Communication
• Marine mammals
• Health, stranding

The Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program works with more than 100 partners in the national marine mammal stranding network. Network members  document and collect basic information on whale, dolphin, seal, and sea lion strandings in the United States. 

Each year we average more than 5,000 reports, and some years it is significantly higher.  Information on these strandings is collected in a centralized database that includes a data visualization tool called Tableau. Tableau allows users to create custom and pre-programmed reports based on the entered data.  

During your internship you will gain key insights into health data used to inform marine mammal conservation under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, as well as great skills in data analysis and visualization.

You will:

• Work with our team to understand the information collected on marine mammal strandings
• Explore the Tableau tool
• Develop meaningful visualizations to help us tell the story of stranding trends
• Write a manual on how to use Tableau with our database.  

Oceanography Using Remote Sensing 

Mentor: Kimberly Hyde

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Narragansett Laboratory 

Location: Narragansett, Rhode Island

We seek an individual to help develop fisheries-relevant remote sensing products. You will join a team of federal and academic researchers working on various ways to classify water masses in the ocean using remote sensing. Basic coding and statistical skills are required, and interest in geospatial and oceanographic data is preferred. 

While contributing to broader ecosystem-based management applications and NOAA remote sensing product development, you will learn about:

• Remote sensing
• Oceanography
• Phytoplankton ecology
• Data processing
• Data visualization 

Synthesis of Gulf of Mexico Sargassum Community Data to Inform Future Offshore Wind Development

Mentors: Frank Hernandez, Glenn Zapfe, Olivia Lestrade

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Location: Pascagoula, Mississippi

Research Interests: 

• Plankton and larval sampling and analysis
• Sargassum
• Data management
• R programming

Pelagic Sargassum is an open ocean habitat that serves as a refuge for many invertebrates and juvenile fishes and is an essential fish habitat for several NOAA-managed species. Sargassum mats and weed lines are formed primarily by currents and wind-driven processes. The presence of wind farms can change sea surface dynamics to either further converge or disperse Sargassum habitats. This will impact the habitat availability and quality for associated organisms. 

In this project, you will:

• Organize and combine fish and invertebrate abundance data and associated environmental data from multiple Sargassum-related projects
• Help develop a comprehensive Sargassum community database for the Gulf of Mexico
• As time allows, you will conduct preliminary analyses of the spatial distribution of Sargassum-associated fishes and invertebrates

This information will provide the basis for determining the relative importance of Sargassum as a nursery habitat versus "harmful algal bloom.” Although the project is primarily data synthesis, you will also have a chance to spend 10 to 14 days at sea aboard our groundfish survey, if you’d like to go.

Synthesis of Gulf of Mexico Gelatinous Zooplankton Data to Inform Future Offshore Wind Development

Mentors: Frank Hernandez, Glenn Zapfe, Olivia Lestrade

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Location: Pascagoula, Mississippi

Research Interests: 

• Plankton and larval sampling and analysis
• Data management
• R programming

Gelatinous zooplankton are largely free-floating organisms and are often associated with frontal features and convergence zones, where they are often concentrated with their planktonic prey, including larval fishes. The presence of wind farms can change sea surface dynamics to either increase the number or strength of convergence features, which may lead to higher larval fish mortality. 

We have collected data on gelatinous zooplankton abundance and distribution during our Spring and Fall Plankton Surveys in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the data (including associated environmental data) are not consolidated into a single data format and need to be scrutinized for quality control. 

In this project, you will organize and combine gelatinous zooplankton data from these surveys into a comprehensive database. As time allows, you will conduct preliminary analyses of the spatial distribution of gelatinous zooplankton species. This information will allow us to develop a time series of gelatinous zooplankton "ecosystem indicators'', which could be a useful addition to the Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Status Report. Although the project is primarily data synthesis, you will also have a chance to spend 10 to 14 days at sea aboard our groundfish survey, if you’d like to go.

Preferred skills include experience working with large data sets in Excel and Access and experience with R programming language.

Antarctic Fur Seal Diet Data Import and Exploration

Mentor: Sam Woodman 

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Location: La Jolla, California

The U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources Pinniped Research Program collects diet data from Antarctic fur seals to study their foraging ecology. We have entered the first 15 years of Antarctic fur seal diet data into Excel sheets, but not into the program database. You will import these data after performing data quality control and cleaning steps to format the data for the database. 

You will get extensive experience using the Tidyverse suite of R packages and, time permitting, also be encouraged to explore trends in these data. You will interact regularly with our scientists through weekly division meetings, and assist with other division programs as interested.

This project will be primarily R coding, and thus, familiarity and some experience with R is required. Experience with Tidyverse packages (especially dplyr) is ideal but not required.

Green Sea Turtle Photo-Identification Catalog and Database

Mentor: Cali Turner Tomascewicz, David W. Weller

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Location: La Jolla, California

Our team studies marine turtles throughout the world to further our understanding of their ecology, demography, human threats, and conservation status. In this project you will assemble a photo-identification catalog and database for Southern California green sea turtles. 

We are looking for someone with basic database skills who pays attention to detail, is curious, enthusiastic, and has a collaborative spirit.

Oceanographic Data and/or Model Output Analysis Using Python

Mentor: Jessica Garwood

Institutions: NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Oregon State University

Location: Newport, Oregon

You will gain first-hand experience in big data by analyzing oceanographic data and/or model output using the programming language Python. You will work closely with a graduate student to explore real-world issues, such as synthesizing the ocean environment encountered by juvenile salmon migrating out of the Columbia River, or mapping bottom oxygen concentrations on the Oregon shelf using data visualization. 

Beyond the research experience, you will have an opportunity to ask questions about graduate programs and interact with the six state and federal agencies located at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

We are looking for a person with quantitative skills, curiosity, enthusiasm, independence, and perseverance.

Predator Effects on Salmon Marine Survival

Mentor: Joshua Stewart 

Institutions: NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Oregon State University

Location: Newport, Oregon

You will assist with a new project estimating predator densities at the mouth of the Columbia River and possible correlations with salmon smolt mortality rates. The project will likely focus on: 

• Data entry, cleaning, and curation
• Tagging images to build a training dataset for machine learning models
• Assist with data analysis (depending on skill set) 

There may also be opportunities to assist with fieldwork, although the bulk of fieldwork will take place April through June, so this depends on when you start. 

We are looking for someone with experience using R, especially Tidyverse packages for data cleaning and formatting, and experience with image analysis.

Data Explorer

Mentor: Craig D'Angelo

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Location: Newport, Oregon

For this project, you will

• Work within our data management team to improve our data’s international compatibility
• Review international formatting and naming conventions for things like species, locations, and events
• Assist with implementation
• Explore the newly integrated results—what can you discover? 

Seeking a person with a strong interest in, and some experience, working with data.

Community Engagement and Public Affairs

Indigenous Knowledge and Food Security in the Bering Sea

Mentor:  Sarah Wise

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Location: Seattle, Washington

We work with western Alaska fishing communities on the frontline of climate change. You will be a part of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center social science team and work with partners to co-develop a suite of tools to support adaptive decision-making across rural coastal Alaska. This project will inform and support climate resilience and adaptation in rural Alaska communities. 

We are a small, team-oriented social science team with a range of expertise. A good candidate will be interested in:

• Social impacts of climate change
• Equity, and environmental justice 
• How multiple knowledge systems can inform climate-ready fisheries management
• Working with Alaska Native and rural Alaska communities 

You will be able to shape your approach to the larger project to align with your interests. Work will include:

• Reviewing literature
• Active research
• Data synthesis
• Professionalism activities

Student skills sought:

• Keen interest in the topic
• Excellent written and oral skills
• Creative thinking and team orientation
• Basic computer skills
• Experience or willingness to learn narrative coding techniques
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines. 
• Facility synthesizing qualitative data.

Developing NOAA Fisheries Tribal Relationships

Mentor: Ellen Keane

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 

Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts

In the Greater Atlantic Region, we strive to build positive, productive relationships with tribes in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. You will work directly with the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region's tribal liaison and the tribes to advance this work.

With knowledge of tribal government processes and cultural practices, we can better understand tribal positions and needs and be better stewards of our environment. Our current partnerships with the tribes include working on issues related to:

• Protected species such as Atlantic salmon, marine mammals, and sea turtles
• Ecosystem restoration
• Aquaculture

The specific duties will depend on agency needs during the internship and your interests. Regardless of the particular duties, you will  gain experience working directly with tribal nations to enhance our existing relationships and build new ones while enhancing environmental stewardship.

Fish Passage

Mentor: Corinne Kane

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 

Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts

You will conduct a literature review on social-science-informed community engagement best practices for options around fish passage. “Fish passage” is a term for how fish move among habitats they rely on for food, growth, reproduction, and other needs. You will also develop science communication and facilitation techniques for working with communities. 

Some of the preferred skills for this project include multitasking and the ability to work both with a team and independently. Good writing, presentation, and organizational skills are also a plus.

Fishing Industry Outreach

Mentor: Corinne Kane

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts

We seek someone to assist with our Analysis and Program Support Division’s outreach and information portfolio. This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in fishery information, communications, and outreach to the fishing industry. You will collaborate with an outreach team focusing on:

• Online content creation
• "How to” guides
• Organizing existing outreach materials about permitting and reporting requirements

You may also perform video editing and curation to connect better with the fishing industry. 

Some of the preferred skills for this project include multitasking and the ability to work both with a team and independently. Good writing, presentation, and organizational skills are also a plus.

Whale SENSE Outreach Program

Mentor: Corinne Kane

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts

You will work with our Protected Resources Division to support boater outreach efforts focusing on responsible viewing and safe boating around marine wildlife. This includes, but is not limited to supporting Whale SENSE, a voluntary recognition program for commercial whale watch operators by educating the public and potential whale watchers on the program and best practices for wildlife viewing. You will:

• Develop content for the Whale SENSE website and social media accounts
• Generate social media content to educate likely whale watchers about the program and drive traffic to the website
• Help to develop educational materials, including updating training offered for participating Whale SENSE captains and naturalists

Some of the preferred skills for this project include multitasking and the ability to work both with a team and independently. Good writing, presentation, and organizational skills are also a plus.

Central California ESA-listed Marine and Freshwater Species Education and Outreach

Mentor: Mandy Ingham

Institution: NOAA Fisheries West Coast Regional Office, California Coastal Office

Location: Santa Cruz, California

Research Interests:

• Biological science
• Engineering

In this project, you will help develop an education and outreach program focused on endangered and threatened marine and freshwater organisms. The target audiences are middle school, high school, and undergraduate students in underserved and underrepresented communities on the central California coast.

You will:

• Gain experience developing education outreach and communications strategies related to natural resource management and freshwater and marine science
• Develop a student outreach strategy and engagement database
• Gain an understanding of natural resource management issues
• Facilitate connections between local biologists, natural resource practitioners, educators, and students

Helpful skills to bring to the project include the ability to read scientific publications and discern information.

International Affairs

Issues in Public Policy, International Fisheries, Communications, and/or Seafood Trade

Mentor: Krissy Rusello, Terra Lederhouse

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Office of Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce

Location: Silver Spring, Maryland

Research Interests:

• Public policy
• International fisheries
• Communications
• Seafood trade

We seek an office-based intern interested in public policy, international fisheries, communications, and/or seafood trade issues. You will work closely with the International Affairs Division office’s chief of staff, and with other divisions on discrete tasks including drafting briefing papers or public reports on international fisheries or contributing to preparations for international meetings. 

You will have an opportunity to:

• See and help respond to various requests for information from Congress, foreign countries, or members of the public
• Help craft one or more web articles about our work
• Engage in other projects related to office priorities
• Develop a policy brief on a priority topic and present it to office leadership as a final project 

Aside from daily exposure to a range of the office’s international policy and communications work, you will work on your final project. Senior staff with experience in international fisheries management will help guide your research and final product. 

Specifically, you will do deep-dive research into a cross-cutting issue related to global fishery management or efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. For example, you could:

• Research existing frameworks and options to advance electronic monitoring/electronic reporting of fishing vessels or other monitoring, control
• Research surveillance tools to promote foreign-flagged vessel compliance with international measures
• Recommend management options and recommendations for our office to consider 

Presenting your work to our leadership could influence our future action in international fisheries organizations. 

This is an opportunity to experience a fast-paced office and to see the development and implementation of U.S. government policy related to international fisheries management. 

Aquaculture

Validation and Testing of High Throughput, Low-Cost Metabolic Rate Assays for Application to the Northeast Eastern Oyster Breeding Center During Line Selection

Mentor: Katherine McFarland 

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Milford Laboratory

Location: Milford, Connecticut

Research Interests: 

• Aquaculture
• Shellfish
• Adaptive capacity
• Ecophysiology
• Ocean acidification
• Climate change

Acquired metabolism and an ability to alter metabolism have been suggested as important drivers of stress tolerance and adaptive capacity. Furthermore, early research suggests that physiological rates under extreme stress are line/family dependent in the Eastern oyster and may be predictors of long-term survival. 

In this project, we are providing a fast, inexpensive, and reliable method to measure metabolic rates in a large number of individual oysters in a relatively short period of time. You will work with NOAA scientists to optimize the assay for juvenile oysters and perform comparisons of two different methods for obtaining results. 

Science Project Administration

Ecosystem, Climate, and Stock Assessment Improvement Program: A 5-Year Review

Mentors: Joe Serafy, Mandy Karnauskus

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Location: Miami, Florida

Internship Positions: Two

Research Interests: 

• Ecosystem-based fisheries management
• Climate and stock assessment science
• Data analysis

Since 2019, our science center’s Ecosystem, Climate, and Stock Assessment Improvement (ECSAI) program has disbursed $3.1 Million ($600,000 per year) toward numerous internal research projects and other related activities. In this project, you will perform an independent 5-year review of the ECSAI program that analyzes:

• Numbers and topics of project ideas submitted
• Numbers and topics of projects funded
• Funding success rates by SEFSC division//branch
• Spatial domain of funded projects
• Species/fisheries emphasized
• Proportion of funded projects that have positively impacted ecosystem, climate, and stock assessment science
• Realized project products, publications, or applications (outputs)
• Other emergent properties of the program, as implemented thus far

Results incorporated into our developing website and used to inform the future direction of the program.

The project lead will review all related documentation for proposed and funded ECSAI projects, supplemented as needed by interviewing the program lead and principal investigators. The tasks of scrutinizing, tabulating, and analyzing the body of information required and generating a written synthesis of findings should be achievable in 8 weeks by two mentored INFISH interns.

Habitat Science

Fish and Beavers in Penobscot Nation Stream Restoration Work

Mentors: Joseph Zydlewski, John Kocik, Ben Simpson

Institutions: U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Penobscot Nation

Location: Orono, Maine

Research Interests: 

• Adaptive management
• Anthropogenic impacts
• Aquatic ecology
• Fisheries management
• Human dimensions
• Population dynamics
• Population and community ecology
• Threatened and endangered species management
• eDNA

The Penobscot River watershed is an important part of the Penobscot Nation, draining nearly one-third of the State of Maine. In 2024, the Nation will replace two barriers (access road crossings) in Birch Stream for migratory fish recovery. This removal will allow more natural stream flows at these two crossings. 

The project goal is to learn more about available cold-water, climate-resilient habitats within the Penobscot River watershed. You will work in the early phase of the study which is intended to learn more about the aquatic community responses before and after improvements.

You will work with federal and tribal scientists and University of Maine graduate students who are studying the long-term ecological benefits of increasing connectivity in rivers for fish like brook trout and animals such as beaver. 

You will have the chance to:

• Assess video monitoring
• Execute field sampling
• Learn about scientific literature and data review and assembly
• Be part of an inter-agency team

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Essential Fish Habitat Science and Management

Mentors: Lindsay Fullenkamp, Jen Cudney, Roldan Muñoz, Nate Bacheler 

Office: NOAA Fisheries Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Location: Half time in Silver Spring, Maryland, and half time in Beaufort, North Carolina

Research Interests:

• Fisheries management
• Ecosystem/habitat science

In this project you will help assess the viability of the South East Reef Fish Survey as a data source for the upcoming Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Essential Fish Habitat amendment. Potential habitat science activities include learning how to:

• Review and analyze reef fish videos
• Identify sharks and reef fish
• Participate in the reef fish survey cruise
• Conduct lab and field work intended to support management of essential fish habitat 

Additional fisheries management activities depend on your interests but may include:

• Policy research
• Geospatial analyses
• Assisting with fishery management plan amendment analyses
• Briefing science center and headquarters office staff. 

Helpful skills to bring to the project include GIS/geospatial analyses, and good in-person and virtual communication skills as you will work remotely and in-person with NMFS staff.

Law Enforcement Support

International Fisheries Inspection Guide

Mentors: Murray Bauer, Lonetona Conway

Institutions:  NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii and Pago Pago, American Samoa

Research Interests:  

• International fisheries management Instruments 
• Natural resources protection and law enforcement
• Education and job aid development

In this project, you will work with NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement to develop lasting content that will help guide and improve the ability of U.S. federal, state and territorial fisheries inspectors to systematically inspect and examine a foreign vessel's compliance with U.S. law and internationally adopted conservation management measures applicable within the IndoPacific region. 

You will help draft a law enforcement job aid for the inspection of foreign flagged fishing vessels. You will:

• Be co-mentored
• Observe an inspection of a foreign vessel
• Meet and engage with NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard, and American Samoa territorial conservation officers. Possible meetings may also include the Pacific Islands International Affairs Office and Fishery Observer Program
• Research Internationally binding conservation management measures agreed upon by members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission 
• Consolidate applicable U.S. regulations and regional fisheries management organizations conservation measures 
• Create and design content to update and expand a job aid for fisheries inspectors and officers to help with inspecting foreign-flagged vessels for compliance with U.S. and international measures that protect living marine resources and ecosystems

Fish Biology and Ecology

Ageing Fish Using Amino Acids

Mentor: Ashok Deshpande

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, James J. Howard Marine Science Laboratory

Location: Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Research Interests:

• Tracer chemicals
• Feeding ecology
• Microplastics

This project focuses on ageing fish using amino acid racemization. We will be developing, validating, and applying an ageing method that has been tested in temperate fish, but is now being tested in cold-water fish like haddock. This is a great opportunity to be a pioneer in the fish ageing field, with the possibility of co-authoring a manuscript. 

The ideal candidates for this internship should have an interest in chemistry and/or fish ageing. 

Pacific Hake Feeding Ecology

Mentor: Alicia Billings, Julia Clemons, Mary Hunsicker, Kristin Marshall, Beth Phillips

Institutions: NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Location: Newport, Oregon

For this project, the IN FISH intern will:

• Participate at-sea in the 2024 Investigations of Pacific Hake Ecology, Survey Methods, and the California Current Ecosystem Research Cruise (approximately 21 days) with the Fisheries Engineering and Acoustic Technologies Team
• Analyze historical Pacific hake diet data
• Learn how this information is used in broader ecosystem modeling and management efforts. 

A team with expertise in hake biology, ecosystem ecology, fisheries acoustics, statistics and modeling, and engagement with fishery managers and stakeholders will support you.

We are looking for someone with good communication and collaboration skills who wants to:

• Work aboard a NOAA ship and participating in the Pacific Hake Research Cruise
• Learn about fish dissection, dietary analysis, and feeding ecology of marine predators
• Gain experience in data analysis

Interannual Comparison of Young-of-the-Year Rockfish Growth Rates

Mentor: Tom Laidig, E.J. Dick, Melissa Monk

Institution: NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Location: Santa Cruz, California

Our team conducts stock assessments and studies demersal communities and habitat assemblages. This project will analyze young-of-the-year rockfish lengths by date to determine growth rates and compare different years to examine any interannual changes in growth rates. You will enter data from data sheets and analyze these data, as well as other data already entered into a database, to get basic information (mean length, simple regressions, and so on). We hope you will have an opportunity to take an R class, but you can use any statistical software to analyze the data (even Excel). You can also learn how to remove otoliths from juvenile rockfish.

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Prey Energetics in the Gulf of Maine

Mentors: Dr. Walt Golet, Sammi Nadeau

Institution: University of Maine and Gulf of Maine Research Institute/Pelagic Fisheries Laboratory

Location: Portland, Maine

Research Interests:

• Life history
• Population dynamics/stock structure
• Foraging ecology
• Highly migratory species migration (tagging)
• Sustainability and marketability

In our lab, we study a multitude of highly migratory species, but have a primary focus on resolving data gaps in the life history of Atlantic bluefin tuna. These tuna are prized for their rich flavor and “melt-in-your-mouth” texture, especially in global sushi and sashimi markets. There are many variables that contribute to the meat quality, but one of particular importance is forage: what they’re eating. 

In this project, we will focus only on energetics (essentially, how fatty a fish is) for the common species that Atlantic bluefin tuna are known to feed on in the Gulf of Maine during the foraging season (summer to fall). While many studies suggest that these tuna forage on a number of species, the fat content of each prey is still relatively unknown.

With the help of a the mentor, you will:

• Conduct energetics analyses of Atlantic bluefin tuna prey found in the Gulf of Maine
• Learn to use a 6200 Isoperibol Calorimeter
• Process samples for analysis, which includes includes homogenizing, drying, and combusting each item to get an energetic proxy of fat content

These results would be used to further evaluate the energetic contribution of prey and how they may influence the overall body condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Can Atlantic Surfclam Subspecies Hybridize: Can They Tolerate Ocean Warming?

Mentor: Michael Acquafredda

Institution: Rutgers University/Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center

Location: Cape May, New Jersey

There are two Atlantic surfclam subspecies. Both are vulnerable to the effects of a warming ocean and support both commercial fisheries and aquaculture operations. Recent genetic evidence suggests these could be distinct, but closely related species. The goal of this project is to better understand the taxonomy of these animals by determining whether the surfclam subspecies can hybridize, and studying their ability to adapt to ocean warming.

 In this project, you will:

• Help carry out experiments
• Conduct purebred and hybrid surfclam spawns
• Rear the resulting larvae under two temperature conditions (ambient and elevated). 
• Compare growth and survival results of the different temperature and  breeding groups 
• Compare the growth, survival, and physiological responses of juvenile clams
• Gain skills in bivalve husbandry, data collection, data analysis (R programming language), and scientific presentation/communication for the public

Understanding Squid Growth 

Mentor: Mike Wilberg

Institutions: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science/Wilberg Lab  

Location: Solomon, Maryland

Research Interests:

• Marine science
• Biology

This project focuses on understanding squid growth through data analysis and simulation modeling. You will join a diverse staff and will be co-mentored by graduate students.

A strong math background would be a good fit.

Gulf of Maine Warming

Mentors: Graham Sherwood

Institutions: Gulf of Maine Research Institute

Location: Portland, Maine  

The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 96 percent of the world’s oceans. This is likely to result in drastic shifts in species’ ranges and productivity, and in species interactions. In 2014 the Gulf of Maine Research Institute launched an inshore ecosystem monitoring effort focused on tracking change, known as the Casco Bay Aquatic Systems Survey or CBASS. This yearly effort occurs in the summer and includes:

• River sampling (cast nets) for migrating river herring
• Beach seining in Casco Bay for juvenile and littoral fish species like alewife and mummichogs
• Hook-and-line sampling in outer Casco Bay for groundfish like Atlantic cod and pollock
• Active acoustic transects to describe pelagic forage fish abundance 
• Environmental DNA sampling to compare to trends seen in the more traditional surveys

You will have the opportunity to:

• Take part in field activities 
• Take on a data set of your choosing to delve into a more specific problem related to the larger monitoring program

Past student projects have:

• Compared how growth rates of seine-caught fish vary with temperature
• Used video monitoring to complement eDNA or seine data
• Examined phenology (timing of movements within a season) of herring in the bay
• Conducted larger statistical analyses of habitat associations of Casco Bay fish.

In addition to project-related work you will also take part in associated programming including:

• R training
• career counseling
• Weekly workshops
• Journal clubs
• Regular seminars related to GMRI’s broader mission, which includes science, education and community programs, along with newer initiatives in climate and business ventures related to the ocean economy.

Relating Screen Approach Velocities to Fish Swimming Speeds at Current and Future Streamflow Temperatures

Mentor: Jean Castillo

Institution: NOAA Fisheries West Coast Regional Office, California Coastal Division

Location: Sacramento, California

Research Interest:

• Biological science
• Engineering background

This project is to evaluate whether the science used to determine the screen approach velocity used to design fish passage at dams and other barriers is still valid for salmonids at current and future conditions. Currently, we cite references dating back to 1953, and temperatures during those experiments may be very different than they are now. 

In this opportunity you will be given background and connected with an expert on salmonid bioenergetics at University of California at Davis. The project will focus on a literature review of current science to see if swimming speeds are still valid. This may include a site visit to the labs.

You will have the chance to:

• Learn about fish passage guidelines and how biological metrics are used to develop them
• Attend internal meetings and interact with the team
• Visit a fish passage  facility 

Helpful skills to bring to the project include the ability to read scientific publications and discern information.