Schweppe Lecture Series

Dr. Paul W. Webb

Thursday, March 3, 2005, 7:00 PM, Visitors Center Auditorium

Of Fish, Folks, and Marshes: What are folks doing to coastal marsh fishes?

A lot of ecology proves to be a mix-up of biology and people. This is epitomized by a small community in northern Michigan that is worried that development will destroy their natural resources. But what are these natural resources? What sort of effects would be expected on fishes due to environmental deterioration? How can changes be monitored? And are the people really behind conservation? Dr. Webb will present this case study, which reflects the concerns of folks along coastlines everywhere.

Paul Webb is Associate Director of the Program in the Environment, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Professor of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. He received his doctorate in Zoology from the University of Bristol in 1971. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was a founder member of the editorial boards of Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and the Journal of Experimental Biology. He is a world-renowned expert on fish locomotion and hydrodynamics, with over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Dr. Webb's primary research is on the biomechanics of fish swimming as an analytic approach towards understanding functional morphology, behavior, and ecology. The current focus of this research is on stability and maneuverability of fishes in turbulent and still water habitats. Another area of research involves quantifying effects of human development on fish populations, and biomonitoring protocols to help empower local citizens in making management decisions. These field studies are focused on Great Lakes coastal marshes in Les Cheneaux, Eastern Upper Peninsula, Michigan.

The free lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, and the public is invited to attend. Dr. Webb's visit to the Marine Science Institute is part of the Laura Randall Schweppe Endowed Lecture Series in Marine Science.