Research Spotlight: Zachary Darnell

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Dr. Zach Darnell, associate professor, has received recent funding for his current project. The project, funded by the National Marine Fisheries Service, is "Quantifying and Reducing Discard Mortality of Undersized and Ovigerous Crabs in the Gulf of Mexico Blue Crab Fishery" and is a collaboration with researchers from Mississippi State and University of South Alabama (USM is the lead institution).

This project seeks to quantify and reduce discard mortality in the Gulf of Mexico blue crab fishery. Discard mortality (mortality of nontarget individuals caught as bycatch, also referred to as bycatch mortality) is a serious concern for many fisheries and estimates of discard mortality have been identified as a critical research need for management of the blue crab fishery.

Researchers will integrate bycatch surveys, field experiments, and an improved understanding of crabber knowledge, strategies, and behaviors to quantify discard mortality and develop best practices for reducing discard mortality to ensure continued sustainability of the blue crab fishery.