Advancing Professional Development for Fisheries Stock Assessment Scientists

Stock assessments are foundational for fisheries management globally, and NOAA Fisheries conducts assessments on hundreds of U.S. federally-managed stocks. NOAA Fisheries science leadership has identified a need to provide structured continuing education and training opportunities to maintain and advance the skills of stock assessment scientists. While ad hoc programming is frequently employed, a national program would facilitate the provisioning of new educational opportunities to fisheries biologists that strategically expand professional depth and breadth both individually and institutionally. To assess participation in current educational opportunities and identify gaps in training offerings, we surveyed NOAA Fisheries program supervisors. We utilized their feedback to design a national professional development program aimed at expanding the technical and non-technical skills necessary for stock assessment. Herein, we outline our process for defining the scope, desired outcomes, developing curricula, and our plan for implementation. Our program is poised to uniquely benefit participants by providing technical expertise in topics such as statistical programming and soft-skills such as communicating science to stakeholders. Moreover, we anticipate that offering a combination of online and classroom-based instruction will diversify participation, and ultimately facilitate educational collaborations across agencies and academic institutions.