“Managing Reef Fish Species” Seminar Report: An Academic Paper

“Managing Reef Fish Species” Seminar Report

Thanks to Arizona State University’s (ASU) innumerable support programs and events, I could attend a seminar themed on the importance of managing reef fish species living in reefs. This academic event was held on November 7, 2018 (4:00 pm – 5:00 pm) at Agribusiness Center 115, which is within the school premises. Notably, Xuetao Lu, a doctoral student in statistics at ASU, proposed various statistical methods and paradigms to help with the problematic process of sampling reef fish species inhabiting the oceanic environments. Lu’s presentation contended that the assessment and management of reef fish species and other aquatic animals living in water are challenging relative to those of the terrestrial populations.

I have to admit that the session was quite educational. One of the lessons that I absorbed is that predicting the spatial abundance of marine animals living around reefs poses a big challenge. An accurate sampling of these creatures is never a simple task. As a result, Lu’s statistical mapping and spatial analysis models are called for. Moreover, such efficient methods would be extra useful to fishery managers. I was persuaded to think that the proposed tools would aid in decision-making. More to the point, managers of marine facilities would be well-informed on when to open/ close the fisheries or set quotas. Further, the enlightening seminar would serve as an ideal solution to the pressing issue of overfishing. When the abundance rates of reef fish species are accurately known, setting reasonable and sustainable annual catch limits should be the easy part. It should be noted that seminars are just one of the many academic events that are considered informative. Other recommended intervention events include attending club meetings where students get to apply some of the learned skills. In addition, the SunDevilSyn campus engagement network enables learners to connect to programs, departments, and other organizations by forming a discourse online community.