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(c) Cory Fults

MELANIE HUTCHINSON, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator

Supervisory Fisheries Bycatch Researcher, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research 

University of Hawai'i, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI.

Affiliate Faculty, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneohe, HI.

My overarching research interests are geared towards reducing the negative impacts of commercial fisheries on non-target and sensitive species. I work closely with commercial fishers and industry personnel to come up with practical solutions to bycatch problems that can be implemented into current fishing practices. I am very interested in the physiology of capture stress and use a variety of physiological techniques to estimate post-release survival rates of sharks and rays. This data is used to improve handling and discard practice recommendations for a multitude of fisheries and to improve stock assessments. In addition, I use a combination of telemetry technologies to elucidate the biotic and abiotic drivers of marine animal movements to devise strategies to reduce interaction rates between sharks and different fishing gears.

To view Melanie's publications: click here

Dr. Melanie Hutchinson Hawaii shark researcher.
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