Special Seminar Speaker Don Davis, Ph.D.

Join us for a special seminar this week.

Dr. Don Davis will give a talk on Wednesday. He is a geographer by training and has been involved in coastal research for nearly a half a century. His talk titled “The Fishery behind the Fish” will be held on February 22nd at HRI in room 127. See attached announcement and abstract.

Coastal wetlands and associated habitats have traditionally been studied almost exclusively for their distinctive flora and fauna. Indeed, books, monographs, and a sizeable body of research material have been published on the coastal zone’s terrestrial, aquatic, and avian species, but little has been written about the people who live within these diverse areas. However, a surprisingly large and ethnically diverse population has historically lived in coastal zones. For example, in coastal Louisiana, areas that are described by some as a “wasteland” actually boast as many as 150,000 seasonal inhabitants that are the backbone of Louisiana’s working coast. These resident trappers-hunter-fisher-folk collectively give a human face to the coastal lowlands, and, historically, have helped shape the fisheries of the Gulf over the course of millennia, with significant shifts occurring since the onset of European dominance over the last few centuries. Dr. Davis will apply his geographer's eye to these issues, sharing insights on how people have grown to depend on coastal and estuarine habitats and the fisheries they support and have shaped - the people story behind Gulf of Mexico fisheries. Along with the economic drivers that have allowed the products of the fishing industry to expand into global commerce, the history behind the products being marketed also will be discussed. In general, the theme is that one should perhaps hindcast, before one forecasts; life can often only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards.