Postdoctoral Fellowship in Fisheries Conservation Technology
The Environmental Defense Fund, in partnership with Cornell University, seeks a recent Ph.D. with expertise in conservation technology and data analysis to develop, test, and help implement a passive acoustic
monitoring system pilot study to deter illegal fishing.
The project will focus on Chile, where illegal overfishing of the highly prized loco and similar species threatens ecosystems and economic well-being in coastal communities. The communities co-manage
designated fishery areas, but illegal fishing undermines their effectiveness to achieve sustainability, and has deleterious ecosystem impacts. We aim to develop a surveillance system that is easy for communities to use and easy for government to embed in an
effective enforcement process. The current concept is to use underwater acoustic technology to monitor near the borders of a selected fishery area managed by a community with which EDF has strong existing relationships, and to develop software capable of detecting
activities associated with illegal fishing (such as divers, boats, compressors, etc.) and alerting authorities in near-real-time to facilitate enforcement and deter illegal activity. The Fellow’s principal duties will be to critically evaluate this concept,
propose modifications or alternatives, develop the necessary software, work with community leaders and enforcement officials in Chile to set up and implement a pilot test, evaluate the pilot, and produced a refined concept.
Successful demonstration of this passive acoustic system has the potential to result in dramatic environmental and social benefits in areas that have few resources for surveillance and enforcement.
The Postdoctoral Scientist will work with Dr. Rod Fujita, Director of Research & Development for EDF’s Fishery Solutions Center and Dr. Aaron Rice, Principal Ecologist at the Bioacoustics Research
Program at Cornell University, for this two-year fellowship.
For more details about the position and to apply, visit:
https://www.edf.org/jobs/atkinson-edf-post-doctoral-fellow-oceans
For questions about the position, email: or