Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- Creators: School of Life Sciences
One may ask, how is all of this connected specifically to the Maine lobster industry? It has been determined that approximately 80% of right whales currently have scars along their bodies as a result of being entangled in fishing rope. More specifically, the rope that right whales are becoming entangled in is the vertical line used by lobstermen that connects the lobster trap lying on the seafloor to a buoy at the surface. Not only can this entanglement lead to the drowning of individuals, but also a decreased birth rate among females due to stress should they successfully free themselves (Knowlton et al., 2012).
In an attempt to decrease entanglement rates and bring the decline in right whale populations to a halt, the state of Maine has been in the process of creating and implementing new policies, many of which will have an impact on the lobster industry. Regulations that have been considered include weakened vertical lines, modified gear marking, a change in rope color, reduction in traps, or even the introduction of new ropeless technology.
What perceptions do lobstermen in Maine have regarding the conservation of right whales and the possible regulations that could be put into place? To address this question, I posted a Google Forms survey link on a local Maine fishermen’s Facebook page in late December 2018 that remained open until the end of February 2019. The five-minute survey was to be completed on a voluntary basis to gather a convenient sample from the 15,000 members on the group page, of which not all were lobstermen. There was a total of 39 participants. The survey asked about opinions regarding a series of possible regulations that could possibly impact the lobster industry, should they be implemented. Additionally, the survey provided space for lobstermen to explain how past regulations had impacted them personally, as well as space for recommendations they thought would help conserve right whale populations while simultaneously creating little negative impact on the lobster industry.
The status of Earth’s diversity is deteriorating quickly which will continue to impact humans’ way of life, as well as every other living creature, in all regions of the world. However, there are organizations taking action to protect biodiversity on our planet. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is one of those organizations and includes 196 signatories from around the world who are committed to strategies to preserve their biodiversity (Secretariat). Indeed, 98% of the parties which have participated in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have created national biodiversity strategies (NBS) and action plans (NBSAPs) (Secretariat). Yet, there are still countries that have yet to partake in these efforts. America continues to hold out against ratifying the CBD and remains the only developed country without a National Biodiversity Strategy. As an NBS for the U.S. is under consideration, my goal is to understand what works from previous plans. In particular, I focus on stakeholder engagement in Conservation Biodiversity Action Plans. Stakeholder engagement is important because, without it, there may be insufficient levels of integration of the action plans, which can lead to the failure of the CBDs conservation efforts. To address this question, I analyze the 193 strategies created for countries across the globe. My review describes the ways that stakeholders are engaged in National Biodiversity Strategies for CBD member countries. All plans mention some form of engagement. The most common types mentioned are ‘Education’, ‘Communication’, and ‘Training’. Examining the plans further reveals that most forms of engagement often are just mentioned and not completed. Close to 58% of the engagement forms are only completed about 50% of the time. Exceptions are surveys, interviews, and workshops, which are each completed in over 70% of plans that mention them. I then use this information to provide practical recommendations for creating an effective NBSAP for the United States.