Schmied Scholarship Recipients

As a young child, I enjoyed spending time in and around the ocean; as a teenager, I became curious about the status of our ocean; as an adult, I started to take the steps to ensure a sustainable fishery for Bahamians and a healthier marine environment for Bahamians and visitors to enjoy. I believe the best way to protect our resources is to educate ourselves about how these systems function and communicate that knowledge to the public and those charged with managing these systems. As a result, I was inspired to pursue a career in Biological Science because the skills acquired would equip me with the skills needed to competently address environmental concerns in The Bahamas.

I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology from The College of Charleston in 2004. In 2006, I was awarded a scholarship by Kerzner Marine Foundation to pursue my graduate degree and also given the opportunity to work on the development of an evaluation and monitoring program for an existing National Park on Andros Island, Bahamas. Through collaborations with Perry Institute of Marine Science, we are currently assessing the effectiveness of the park through ecological assessments, socioeconomic surveys and analyzing if the management plans allow for the park to reach its desired goals.

I am currently working on my Master’s of Science degree in Biological Science at Florida International University. My graduate research, partially funded by Bonefish Tarpon Unlimited, will employ the use of acoustic telemetry to identify bonefish spawning migration routes and potential spawning aggregations around Andros Island, Bahamas. In addition, I will investigate which bonefish species dominates the recreational fishery. Identification of important spawning aggregations, migration routes and an understanding of the species composition are critical for the development of effective conservation and management strategies for the fishery.

I enjoy scientific research however, it is also important to translate this information so that appropriate conservation and management plans can be developed. As a result, I am currently working on a project with The Bahamas National Trust, a non-profit organization charged with managing the Bahamian National Park system, to develop a National Park and sustainable finance plan for a proposed park on New Providence, Bahamas. I enjoy what I do and it is motivation to know that the work I can do would make significant contributions to The Bahamas.

Christopher Hawkins received his undergraduate degree in Marine Environmental Protection and Safety from Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) in 1998 and his Master’s degree in Tropical Coastal Management from the University of Newcastle (UK) in 2001. His professional interest in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean first bloomed during an MMA training cruise aboard the 550’ PATRIOT STATE, which included stops in Ft. Lauderdale, the Dry Tortugas, Barbados, and Curacao, as well as an equatorial crossing. He returned to the Academy as an oceanography instructor during the 2002 Sea Term to Veracruz, MX, the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Hawkins is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Human Dimensions of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Program in the Department of Natural Resources Conservation. He has not yet chosen a dissertation topic, but has been actively involved in several program research projects, including an examination of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan, the human dimensions aspect of an integrated assessment of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve (both for NOAA), and a large scale data collection about the attitudes, values, norms, expectations and satisfaction of recreational anglers and SCUBA divers in the Florida Keys for the Florida Reef Resilience Program.

Hawkins’ primary interest is in the area of policy-relevant social science research. He has worked for the Newfound Harbor Marine Institute in the Florida Keys in several capacities, including Marine Science Program Director. He also worked at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’ Florida Keys Refuge Complex on Big Pine Key. Prior to coming to the University of Massachusetts, he was employed in the South Pacific U.S. Territory of American Samoa as the Coordinator of the territorial government’s Coral Reef Initiative.

Flats fishing off Key West, FL