Resume/ Robert B. Ditton

 

Dr. Robert B. Ditton is interested in the application of social science theory and methods to better understanding participants in coastal and marine recreation activities, the experiences they seek, and implications for natural resources management. Over the past twenty years, much of his work has focused on integrating human dimensions theory, methods, and research results into fisheries management. He received his B.S. from the State University of New York--Cortland College and his Masters and Ph. D from the University of Illinois.

Bob and his associates have completed over 40 research projects totaling over $2.25 million from agencies including the National Park Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, the Texas Coastal and Marine Council, the International Billfish Research and Conservation Foundation, U.S. Minerals Management Service, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sport Fishing Institute, and the Texas Sea Grant College Program among others. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has funded his work on recreational fisheries annually since 1986.

Dr. Ditton' s work in recreational fisheries is well recognized. He has served in numerous capacities including chair of a national conference on creel and angler surveys sponsored by the American Fisheries Society, appointed member of the Federal Advisory Committee for Marine Fisheries, member of the Standing Science and Statistical Committee of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, member of the Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) Program Management Board and member of the Advisory Board of the National Coastal Resources Research Institute. Other assignments have been with U.S. Department of the Interior, National Academy of Sciences, National Marine Fisheries Service, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, United Nations, World Tourism Organization, and National Coalition for Marine Conservation among others.

Dr. Ditton has written extensively on the need for an integrated approach to coastal resources management. He has co-authored two books; one on environmental impact analysis and another on coastal resources management. He has authored or co-authored over sixty articles in peer-reviewed journals including the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, the North American Journal of Fisheries Management, Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Leisure Sciences, Journal of Leisure Research, Marine Fisheries Review, Fisheries, Coastal Management, Tourism Management, Ocean and Shoreline Management, among others. Furthermore, he has authored eighty other technical reports and papers. He has been invited to make keynote presentations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and Sport Fishing Institute among others.

Bob has served as Editor or Associate Editor of all of the major journals in his field. Honors include being named Distinguished Alumnus by the State University of New York--Cortland College (1987); recipient of the Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research, awarded by the National Recreation and Parks Association (1986); and listing in American Men and Women of Science- Social and Behavior Sciences (1978).

Dr. Ditton is a member of the faculty of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University where he teaches graduate courses in Coastal Resources Management and the Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries Management. He is also a Professor in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University.