Ben Cournoyer, Hollings Scholarship recipient, checking water temperatures during his 2009 research on juvenile red king crab habitat preference.
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Ben Cournoyer is a senior at Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, Florida. He is majoring in marine science with minors in mathematics and chemistry.
Ben received the 2008 NOAA Hollings Scholarship and chose to assist NMFS researchers Sara Persselin and Bob Foy with their study of king crab early life history and behavior. His summer research entails determining whether 3-month-old and 1-year-old red king crab have preferences for different types of synthetic substrates, such as used fishing gear, or for vertical or horizontal orientation of habitat.
One of NMFS’ goals in the North Pacific is to enhance the depleted crab stocks in Alaskan waters. This will contribute to increased survival of hatchery grown crab. During his stay in Kodiak, Ben is assisting in project planning, conducting the experiment, and compiling literature pertaining to king crab habitat with ontogeny. In late July 2009, Ben will present his study at the NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. |