FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 3 



Table 2. — Percent of responses naming undergraduate subjects as most useful, least 

 useful, or one that should have been added or taken in greater depth. 



ranking of biostatistics-population dynamics- 

 computer use and the fiftii place rating of math- 

 ematics-calculus. Both of these subject groups 

 ranked even higher among those that the re- 

 spondents wished they had added or taken in 

 greater depth. 



Biology, botany, and zoology courses varied 

 greatly in their usefulness. General zoology 

 ranked third among those listed as the most use- 

 ful, ichthyology and systematic zoology ranked 

 ninth, and a group of advanced zoology courses 

 ranked tenth, largely because of the inclusion 

 of the physiology of resource animals. Other 

 advanced zoology courses and botany were more 

 frequently among those listed as the least use- 

 ful than among the most. Many respondents 

 noted these as "too specialized" or "memory 

 type" courses that they objected to. On the other 

 hand, a few people rated them most useful. 



Chemistry courses were viewed much like 

 biology courses. The general courses were 

 ranked relatively useful, but the advanced cours- 



es were rated not useful by more respondents 

 than those who considered them useful. 



The natural resource sciences also varied 

 greatly in their usefulness. Fisheries and fish 

 biology courses ranked fourth among those listed 

 as most useful and fishery management twelfth, 

 Aquacultural science, including pathology, par- 

 asitology, nutrition, and genetics as applied to 

 fishery resource animals, varied greatly in use- 

 fulness (sample population was underrepre- 

 sented in aquaculture). Apparently these are 

 specialized courses, needed only by a few people. 

 Other natural resource sciences, such as wildlife 

 science or management, forestry, soil science, 

 and land management, also varied in their use- 

 fulness. 



The opinions about the usefulness of the social 

 sciences were anomalous. Almost all of the so- 

 cial sciences except economics were rated least 

 useful if they were mentioned and yet many re- 

 spondents wished they had taken more social 

 science courses. The apparent explanation for 



686 



