David Pierce

David Pierce 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
Affiliation
Date of Interview
07-21-2016
Audio
Transcript
Abstract

David Pierce was born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Being from New Bedford, he had an interest in the ocean and the fisheries from a young age. He received his bachelors from SMU (Southeastern Massachusetts University) now University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He also received his Master's in Marine Biology from SMU in 1982. He received his PhD from University of Massachusetts Boston in 1996. He began working for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in 1972. Early in his career, he had a strong interest in fish contamination issues and seafood advisories and studied mostly winter flounder as a fisheries biologist scientist. Currently he is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) working with graduate students. He served as Deputy Director of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries for 10 years before being appointed Director.

Interview contains discussions of: winter flounder, scup, fluke, sea bass, climate change, recreational versus commercial fishing, Gulf of Maine Cod, Georges Bank, bottom trawl surveys, modeling, stock assessments, surveys, cod, haddock, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, New England Fisheries Management Council, regulations within the fishing industry, abundance, biodiversity, management.

David Pierce discusses his career with Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. He describes the need for accurate science and cooperative research between the federal and state scientists as well as the commercial fishing and recreational fishing industries.


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