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Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST)

Quantitative Fisheries Modeling


The Quantitative Fisheries Program in the Department of Applied Ecology leads research, education, and extension programs focused on providing quantitative scientific advice for fisheries management.

Program Overview

The program is led by Dr. Jie Cao and works closely with the state, federal and international natural resource agencies. Our major foci are currently:

  • The development of approaches to improve fisheries stock assessment and management
  • The evaluation of existing methods’ performance for assessing and managing resource populations
  • The understanding of climatic influences on fishery resources and how to manage marine populations in the face of climate change

Ongoing Research

  • Development and Application of a Management Strategy Evaluation Tool: Tradeoffs between the Management Objectives of Recreational and Commercial Fisheries
  • Impact evaluation of Environmental Stress and Bioactive Chemicals on the North Carolina Blue Crab Population
  • Development and Application of an International Stock Assessment and Management Strategy Evaluation Tool for Common Dolphinfish in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea