{"id":233481,"date":"2026-05-04T12:44:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T22:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=233481"},"modified":"2026-05-04T12:44:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T22:44:40","slug":"fisheries-students-fellowships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/04\/fisheries-students-fellowships\/","title":{"rendered":"7 fisheries students earn fellowships, highlight community support"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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(Photo credit: Madeline Davis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first cohort of the Sustainable Fisheries Graduate Program<\/a> at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> includes 14 students, seven of whom are supported through fellowships<\/a> from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA<\/abbr>), Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Division of Aquatic Resources<\/a> (DAR<\/abbr>) and a Â鶹´«Ã½-based<\/span> philanthropic organization. Students and their UH<\/abbr> advisors will work collaboratively with the sponsoring agencies and Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> communities on their graduate research projects.<\/p>\n

“It is really encouraging to see the significant support for this new program from the community and the state and federal agencies we partner with,” said Jeff Drazen, sustainable fisheries program graduate chair and oceanography professor in the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a> (SOEST<\/abbr>). “Welcoming the first cohort of students is an exciting milestone, and having this level of community collaboration will really advance our goal of ensuring sustainable fisheries for people throughout the Pacific.”<\/p>\n

The incoming students receiving fellowships are Kai Holdaway, Alexander Jemal, Ashley Meara, Kahakuhailoa Poepoe, Mackenzie Thielmann, Andrea Vega and Jake Zikan. Of the seven students, six will pursue master\u2019s degrees, and one will pursue a doctoral degree; two are from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, and five are from the U.S.<\/abbr> continent.<\/p>\n

Students address fisheries near and far<\/h2>\n
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(Photo credit: Fikret Kabay from Pixabay)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Supported by one of two DAR<\/abbr> Fellowships, Thielmann\u2019s research will focus on finding “nursery” areas where young fish grow along Oʻahu’s<\/span> coastlines to help protect future fish populations. By analyzing a large state dataset, Thielmann will identify where juvenile fish are most common and see if these “hotspots” match up with where legal-sized adult fish live. This project will use advanced science to ensure that culturally important reef fish remain abundant for local families and fishers. Further, this will help DAR create better fishing rules and habitat protections.<\/p>\n

One of the four fellowships supported by the NOAA<\/abbr> Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center<\/a> in Honolulu, awarded to Holdaway, will support building a computer model that predicts where the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> longline fishing fleet might shift to as ocean conditions and fishing laws change. By analyzing vessel data and interviewing fishers, Holdaway wants to understand how factors like earnings, weather, and mapping tools influence a captain\u2019s decisions. Ultimately, this work seeks to balance catching target fish with avoiding protected species to ensure a healthier marine ecosystem.<\/p>\n

For more information, see SOEST<\/abbr>\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

–By Marcie Grabowski<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students and their UH<\/abbr> advisors will work collaboratively with the sponsoring agencies and Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> communities on their graduate research projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":233487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[665,1363,1314,175,107,92,660,73,9],"class_list":["post-233481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-conservation","tag-manoa-research","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-marine-biology","tag-oceanography","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-student-recognition","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t