ROYCE: EDUCATION OF FISHERY SCIENTISTS 



ed that the courses have greater relevance to 

 real problems, emphasize more technical skills, 

 more scientific methods, and be less special- 

 ized. 



Type of Fishery 



A preponderance of the fishery scientists work 

 mostly with either recreational fisheries or com- 

 mercial fisheries. Most of those working for the 

 state fishery or fish and game agencies, the Bu- 

 reau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, and the 

 nonfishery agencies were concerned with recre- 

 ational fisheries; and most of those working for 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service and for 

 universities were concerned with commercial 

 fisheries. The balance included a few who di- 

 vided their time equally between recreational 

 and commercial fisheries and some who were 

 extensively engaged in environmental problems. 



The recreational fishery scientists valued na- 

 tural history and environmental and communi- 

 cation subjects. A larger proportion of them 

 than of the commercial fishery scientists rated 

 ecology, ichthyology-systematic zoology, inverte- 

 brate zoology-marine biology, fishery manage- 

 ment, oceanography-limnology, aquacultural sci- 

 ence, and public speaking as their most valuable 

 subject, wished they had added such subjects, 

 and suggested that courses should have greater 

 relevance to actual problems and the curriculum 

 should have more environmental courses. 



The commercial fishery scientists valued quan- 

 titative methods, fisheries, and economics. A 

 larger proportion of them rated mathematics-cal- 

 culus, fisheries-fishery biology, biostatistics-pop- 

 ulation dynamics-computer use, and economics 

 as their most useful subject, wished they had 

 added these subjects, and commented on the need 

 to improve the curriculum by the addition of 

 business and administration courses. 



Fisheries vs. Biology-Zoology Major 



More than 90% of the PFB respondents had 

 majored in either fisheries, biology, or zoology. 

 Those who had majored in fisheries frequently 

 had minored in biology, zoology, or chemistry. 

 Regardless of major, however, the distribution 



among duties and types of fisheries was almost 

 the same. 



A higher proportion of the fishery majors 

 listed ichthyology-systematic zoology, mathema- 

 tics-calculus, fisheries-fishery biology, fishery 

 management, wildlife management, English 

 composition, and public speaking as their most 

 valuable subject, wished they had taken more 

 ecology, ethology, psychology, and economics, 

 and commented on the need for courses with 

 greater relevance to real problems and on the 

 need to add environmental courses. 



On the other hand, a larger proportion of the 

 biology-zoology majors listed ecology, physiol- 

 ogy, and invertebrate zoology-marine biology as 

 their most valuable subject, wished they had 

 taken more calculus, geology-hydrology, and 

 fishery management, and suggested less special- 

 ization in the curriculum. 



Shifts in Opinions with Passage of Time 



Information on the years since the last degree 

 enabled a breakdown into three decade groups 

 <10, 10-19, and >19 years with considerable 

 numbers in each. Interpretation of the diflFerent 

 opinions is difficult, however, because of changes 

 in curricula, changes in status of the respondents 

 with age, and dimmed memories. 



The oldest group tended to cling to the tradi- 

 tional sciences and communications. A larger 

 proportion of them rated biology, zoology, bot- 

 any, chemistry, physics, English composition, 

 and public speaking as the most valuable subject, 

 wished they had had more of these subjects, and 

 wished they had added more administration. 



On the other hand, the youngest group valued 

 more highly the environmental, quantitative, and 

 applied sciences. A larger proportion of them 

 rated ecology, ichthyology-systematic zoology, 

 fishery management, and biostatistics-population 

 dynamics as the most valuable subject. They 

 also had stronger negative opinions; a larger 

 proportion of them listed advanced zoology, 

 chemistry, physics, economics, and humanities- 

 liberal arts as the least valuable subject (al- 

 though a slightly larger proportion of the inter- 

 mediate age group rejected humanities-liberal 

 arts) . 



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