Interview with Chris Glass

Interview: Dr. Chris Glass, New Director of the Northeast Consortium

By Michael Crocker
(Published in Collaborations, October 2005)

A specialist in animal behavior and marine biology, Chris Glass has a long record of conservation gear
research in New England’s Fisheries, and comes to the Northeast Consortium after nine years as a scientist with the
Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences in Massachusetts.

Where are you from?
Originally from Lisburn – a small town on the outskirts of Belfast, Northern Ireland. I left Northern Ireland to go to graduate school in Scotland and ended up living and working in Scotland for almost 19 years before moving to Manomet. I came to Manomet on a one year sabbatical from my position in Aberdeen – that will be 9 years next month!

What is your academic background?
I have a degree in Zoology (specializing in Animal Behavior and Marine Biology) from The Queens University Belfast and a Ph.D. from The University of Glasgow.

What was you earliest experience with the fishing industry?
My first serious experience with the fishing industry came as a young graduate student working with a team of researchers on board a small trawler on the west coast of Scotland. Our goal was to film the reaction behavior of fish and to describe their reactions to the approaching fishing gear. This involved jumping off the stern of the vessel (wearing SCUBA gear), swimming down the wires and grabbing hold of the net as it passed by. This was repeated multiple times a day. Living and working on the vessel for weeks at a time really provided an insight into the workings of a fishing vessel and provided a foundation that later would prove invaluable in my developing career in gear conservation and collaborative research.

What kind of research first got you involved with the industry?
I was working for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland – a large Government Research Lab in Aberdeen. I was studying the reaction behavior of fish to fishing gears using sophisticated underwater filming techniques. Whenever we returned to port, fishermen always gathered around wanting to see the underwater film and it was during these “social” interactions that it became clear to me that the industry had an enormous amount to offer not only because of their intuitive understanding of how fishing gears operate, but also because of their unique and practical approach to problem solving. Later on, when I was in the final stages of developing and testing a bycatch reduction device for releasing undersized haddock and whiting, the industry was extremely supportive and, in fact, instrumental in helping shepherd the device into the regulatory process.

Based on your experience in Europe, is there anything about New England fishermen that is unique?
I am struck by two things: I have been impressed by how articulate and knowledgeable fishermen are and by their passion for the future of their industry. I am also particularly impressed by the enormous degree of interest that the fishing industry has in being part of the collaborative research process. I look at other countries and see that the fishing industry is just beginning to talk about working with the scientific community and many are looking at the Northeast region of the US as a template for their own developing programs.

What is the difference, if any, between gear research in Europe vs. U.S.?
This is really just a matter of scale. Every nation in Europe with a coastline has a functional gear research capability. If you think of the number of countries surrounding the North Sea alone, you quickly realize that there is a greater concentration of gear researchers there than almost anywhere else on earth. Add to that the fact that the European Union promotes and encourages gear researchers from different countries to work together on common problems and you can see that there is a tremendous exchange of information which in turn promotes innovation.

What have fishermen offered your research?
The biggest thing the fishing industry brings to the collaborative research process is a unique and practical approach to problem solving. On many occasions I have seen a scientist outlining a design concept only to be shown (by a fisherman) that there is a simpler and more practical solution! In my opinion gear conservation work can only succeed with industry as equal partners.

What has been your experience with the NEC?
I have been involved with the NEC in many capacities. In the first few years I contributed on project selection panels, before becoming actively involved as a principle investigator on numerous awards. Now, of course, I will be involved in a much more direct manner. I have always been impressed by the philosophy that encourages the fishing industry and other stakeholders to actively participate in the decision making processes of the NEC and I hope to continue with this. I also like the concept of supporting pilot programs through Project Development awards. These awards play an important role in identifying the feasibility of an idea or concept that might not receive support from other funding sources and are particularly suited for ideas generated from the fishing industry itself.

What role do you see collaborative research playing in management/science?
I think good management can only happen if there is sufficient data – quality data - supporting the management decisions. It should be clear to all that the industry is well placed to provide much of these data and that the scientific community is not capable of providing high quality data without the assistance of the industry. The experiences of the last six years or so shows we can achieve much more by working together than we can by working independently. The NEC, I think, has an important role to play in supporting this type of collaborative research and in continuing to provide a framework for bringing the fishing community, scientists, managers and regulators together in an effective manner.

How do you think your background fits with the NEC mission?
I hope my background and my research experiences will add to the continuing development of the Northeast Consortium. I have spent the greater part of my working life conducting research onboard commercial fishing vessels and working with the fishing industry to provide information in support of effective management of our marine resources. It seems to me that this is at the heart of the mission of the NEC and I hope to continue the good work of the outgoing director Ann Bucklin. Indeed I think we all owe Ann an enormous debt of gratitude for bringing the Consortium to this point.

Do you expect to change/alter focus of NEC?
With any change in leadership there will inevitably be subtle and perhaps not so subtle changes in philosophy and direction. However, any changes in focus will be led by the representatives and by the advisory panel both of which remain unchanged.

Are you optimistic/pessimistic about the future of commercial fishing in the region?
I am very optimistic that there will be a vibrant and effective fishing industry in the future. Seafood and marine resources are part of the fabric of the region and are much too important to be allowed to disappear. The positive outlook derives from the fact that some stocks are rebuilding while others show signs of responding to management measures. If you factor in the interest that the fishing industry has shown in being part of the collaborative research process then I believe the outlook is indeed good.

How can collaborative research contribute to the industry's vitality?
Anyone who has been actively involved in collaborative research can see how much this process has contributed not only to the industry but also to the scientific community. I truly believe the industry now sees that it has an important voice in providing solutions to problems in our fisheries, and the scientific community has also benefited greatly by increased interaction with people who spend all their lives on the water.

Where do you see the NEC/collaborative research 10 years from now?
I don’t think any of us can look out 10 years and predict with any certainty what the landscape will look like. However, the NEC and other funding sources have laid the foundation for bringing the fishing and scientific communities together. I think we would all agree that this is not only positive but that it has also produced results that are beginning to impact the way we manage our marine resources. Having reached this point, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where collaborative research is not
at the core of our continuing research efforts.