[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 142 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SMAST PROFESSOR HONORED FOR FISHERIES WORK

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2011

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
the latest award recognizing the distinguished career of Dr. Brian 
Rothschild of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for 
Marine Science and Technology.
  Dr. Brian Rothschild was recently presented the prestigious Oscar 
Elton Sette Award for ``sustained excellence in marine fishery 
biology'' by the American Fisheries Society. For many years, it has 
been my privilege to work closely with Dr. Rothschild on numerous 
issues involving the fishing industry as well as marine science, 
maritime safety, and ocean studies. This has included discussions on 
global warming and renewable energy possibilities in the northeast as 
well as the development of critical partnerships abroad such as that 
which now exists between the University of the Azores and the 
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he is the Montgomery 
Charter Professor of Marine Science. He has advised me and my staff on 
the critical issues that face both fishermen and scientists as these 
stewards of our oceans work to find that critical balance between 
sustainable fishing and conservation of fish stocks.
  Dr. Rothschild has dedicated himself to public service by working in 
various government roles that have dealt with both fishery management 
and oceanography. I submit the following article into the record, which 
describes how Dr. Rothschild was recently honored by his peers for his 
important contributions to fishery science. I congratulate him, and 
thank him for his commitment to our community.

               [From SouthCoastToday.com, Sept. 20, 2011]

               SMAST Professor Honored for Fisheries Work

                             (By Don Cuddy)

       Dr. Brian Rothschild, a distinguished professor at UMass 
     Dartmouth's School for Marine Science and Technology, has 
     again been honored by his peers in the scientific community.
       Rothschild traveled to Seattle earlier this month as this 
     year's recipient of the Oscar Elton Sette Award, presented 
     annually by the American Fisheries Society to an individual 
     who has made ``sustained and important contributions to 
     marine fishery biology.''
       Oscar Elton Sette was a pioneer in the development of 
     fisheries oceanography and is regarded by many fisheries 
     scientists as the father of modern fisheries oceanography in 
     the United States. A National Oceanographic and Atmospheric 
     Administration research vessel based in Hawaii is named for 
     him.
       Rothschild was a friend and colleague of Sette in Honolulu 
     and while Sette was at Stanford University, and the pair co-
     authored a report on skipjack tuna in 1996.
       The American Fisheries Society describes itself as ``the 
     world's oldest and largest organization dedicated to 
     strengthening the fisheries profession, advancing fisheries 
     science and conserving fisheries resources.'' Its first 
     president was elected in 1870.
       Rothschild has been working in fisheries for close to 60 
     years. As director of policy at NOAA, he oversaw the 
     successful implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
     Conservation and Management Act of 1976.
       In 1986, Harvard University Press published his book 
     ``Dynamics of Marine Fish Populations.'' This was the first 
     book to comprehensively address the abundance of fish 
     populations in historical, life-history and modeling 
     contexts, according to professor Changsheng Chen, one of his 
     colleagues at SMAST who put forward the nomination.
       Among the major accomplishments credited to Rothschild is 
     his work on the scallop fishery. ``His innovative sampling 
     strategy, along with Kevin Stokesbury, for ocean scallops 
     allowed new assessments to be made, allowing the opening of 
     scallop beds and preventing the collapse of the most valuable 
     fishery in the U.S.,'' Cheng wrote in the nomination letter.
       The citation on the award reads: ``For sustained excellence 
     in marine fishery biology through research, teaching, 
     administration or a combination of all three.''
       Rothschild, who left for a global fishery conference in 
     Gdansk, Poland, on Friday, said he felt honored to receive 
     the award.
       ``I would like to thank all of my colleagues,'' he said. 
     ``It's so great to be working in a field that is so important 
     to so many people.''

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