Fishery Biologist
Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
My name is Jenefer Bell and I am a Fishery Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Growing up in Connecticut my two loves were the ocean and Alaska. I remember saying to my parents I was going to live in Alaska even before I knew exactly what that meant-the pictures of Alaska were beautiful and the stories filled with excitement and adventure.
What does the fish and game department do?
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game strives to protect, maintain and improve the fish, game and aquatic plants resources for the state and manage their use and development in the best interest of the economy and the well-being of the people of the state. There are five divisions that focus on managing the state’s natural resources: Commercial Fisheries, Habitat, Sport Fish, Subsistence and Wildlife Conservation. I work for the division of Commercial Fisheries, which focuses on the management of subsistence, commercial and personal use fisheries for the general well-being of the people and economy of the state.
Why is this work important/how does it apply to everyday life for most people?
Natural resources are so important to the people of Alaska. Their management and protection are part of our state constitution. Fish and game resources are an integral part of life for many Alaskans from the commercial fishermen harvesting Pacific salmon to the subsistence hunter taking a caribou to feed family through the winter. The department helps ensure the people of Alaska can continue to depend on healthy populations of fish and wildlife for their economic stability and to maintain traditional cultures.
What do you do at the Fish and Game Department?
I work for the research section of the Division of Commercial Fisheries. Specifically, I study the biology and ecology of red king crab and Pacific salmon to help fishery managers make informed decisions about fishing on the resource.
What is a typical day like for you?
My days are very different depending on the time of year. Because of what I study (red king crab and salmon), most of my fieldwork takes place in the summertime. Fieldwork often consists of going out on small boats to capture red king crab or salmon to collect biological information. Most recently, I spent the summer tagging adult chum salmon to monitor their movement from the ocean into different rivers. In the winter months my days are filled with analyzing the data I spent all summer collecting. I also write reports and attend meetings to learn what other research in being conducted within the state.
What do you most enjoy about your work?
I most enjoy the adventure of doing fieldwork in Alaska and trying to figure out what a small, one time glimpse into the life of a crab or salmon might mean to the overall big picture of their lifecycle and how I can apply that to management of the species to ensure their persistence into the future.
What are some challenges you face in your work?
What I enjoy about my work is also one of the biggest challenges: I collect information from a specific point in an organism’s life and then make decisions on how to manage the species. Because so many people rely on the department’s understanding of the resource it is important to recognize the limits of our knowledge, try to expand that knowledge and make the most informed decisions we can.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
When not working I love reading and knitting — it is hard to figure out where the yarn ends and the furniture begins in my house. My husband (who lives about 800 miles away-check out an Alaska map, the state is huge) and I also enjoy cross country skiing in the winter and often travel to warmer climates to scuba dive. Though we do scuba dive in Alaskan waters, warmer water is much more enjoyable.