Former Sea Grant Scholar Follows the Fish and Finds Himself at NOAA

September 21, 2009 — Doran Mason knew he was hooked on fisheries science after experiencing the lure of Great Lakes fisheries as a Sea Grant scholar in the 1980s.

Years later, Mason is now the director of the Science Division and chief scientist at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich. He attributes much of his career success to the Sea Grant Program.

“Being a New York Sea Grant scholar was invaluable to launching my science career,” says Mason. “It provided me with the education, training and expertise to perform cutting-edge research in a diverse array of ecosystems from the Great Lakes and estuaries to coastal marine areas and blue water.”

Doran Mason, a former Sea Grant scholar, is the director of the Science Division and chief scientist at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich. Photo credit: Doran Mason, NOAA.

A Strong Foundation for Success

Like Mason, many of New York Sea Grant’s Scholars have gone on to highly successful careers in government, industry and academia. Their anticipated roles as decision-makers, managers, business owners, researchers and teachers are critical to the future of the nation’s marine and Great Lakes resources, and all who rely on them.

As a Sea Grant Scholar, Mason studied under Stephen Brandt, a researcher at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, in the mid-1980s. During this time, he completed his thesis on how alewives (a species of herring) in Lake Ontario were preying on young yellow perch.

Mason provided the first direct proof that the alewives were harming the yellow perch population, the primary sport fish in New York and throughout the Great Lakes. His research helped guide management decisions regarding the stocking of salmon, which feed on alewives, and maintaining a desirable balance between alewives and yellow perch populations.

“Mason has become extremely successful leader in Great Lakes fisheries,” says Brandt, the new director of Oregon Sea Grant. “His continued interest in doing things relevant to Great Lakes communities was developed when he was a Sea Grant Scholar.”

New York Sea Grant: Conserving Our Coastal Ecosystems

New York Sea Grant, a cooperative program between the State University of New York, Cornell University and NOAA, supports graduate students and recognizes their importance to university research in marine or related sciences. Student theses often provide useful insights that may not appear in the published literature.

Since 1971, New York Sea Grant has supported nearly 600 scholars at a total cost of more than $9 million.

“Our support helps optimize the students’ educational experiences and provides an introduction to the philosophy of the Sea Grant Program,” says Cornelia Schlenk, New York Sea Grant assistant director.

Sea Grant, administered through NOAA, is a nationwide network of 32 university-based programs that work with coastal communities conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects in support of coastal resource use and conservation.

A “cod-end” full of alewives being lifted aboard the R/V Kaho in Lake Ontario using the deck crane. The impact of alewives as predators on larval yellow perch was the topic of Doran Mason’s graduate thesis. Photo courtesy of the USGS Lake Ontario Biological Station.