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

Paul C. Focazio
New York Sea
Grant

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 maintain 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.

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Last Updated: September 22, 2009 3:59 PM
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