Bradford Brown

Bradford Brown Image
Location of Interview
Collection Name

Voices from the Science Centers

Description

Voices from the Science Centers is an oral history initiative dedicated to documenting the institutional knowledge of fisheries scientists and administrators in the labs of NOAA’s Fisheries Science Centers.

Collection doi
10.VSC/1234567890
Interviewer
Date of Interview
07-08-2016
Audio
Transcript
Biographical Sketch

Bradford Brown was born in 1939 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell, his Master's from Auburn and his PhD from Oklahoma State University. He began working for the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries at the Woods Hole lab in 1962. He worked in Woods Hole, Massachusetts from 1962 – 1965 and 1970- 1984. In between he served as Assistant Leader of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Oklahoma Cooperative Fisheries Units and as Assistant Professor of Zoology at Oklahoma State University. In 1984, he went to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, Florida. While at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center Dr. Brown held the positions of Deputy Center Director, Acting Center Director and Center Director. He retired from NMFS in 2003. As of this interview in 2016, Dr. Brown was still living in Miami, Florida.

Interview contains discussion of: extended jurisdiction, foreign fleets, Magnuson Stevens Act, enforcing fishing quotas, preparing for fishing council meetings, workplace environments before NOAA, establishment of Fisheries Science Centers, commercial fishing during World War II, EEO officer, racism in NOAA, sexism in NOAA, ecosystem-based fisheries management, effect of technology on fisheries management, ICCAT.

In this interview, Dr. Brown discusses his time working for the National Marine Fisheries Services and NOAA, as well as his involvement with civil rights movements. He discusses the change in the work environment over the years as well as the impact of the outside social changes. Dr. Brown also describes his experiences managing employees and how technology has changed fisheries management and science in general.


Please Note: The oral histories in this collection are protected by copyright and have been created for educational, research and personal use as described by the Fair Use Doctrine in the U.S. Copyright law. Please reach out  Voices@noaa.gov to let us know how these interviews are being used in your research, project, exhibit, etc.  The Voices staff can help provide other useful resources related to your inquiry. 

The NOAA mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. The Voices Oral History Archives offers public access to a wide range of accounts, including historical materials that are products of their particular times, and may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes.

Voices Oral History Archives does not verify the accuracy of materials submitted to us. The opinions expressed in the interviews are those of the interviewee only. The interviews here have been made available to the public only after the interviewer has confirmed that they have obtained consent.