UAF names Stevens Professor of Marine Policy

Submitted by Carin Bailey
Phone: (907) 474-7208
02/24/06

FAIRBANKS, Alaska-- Alaska will soon have a new marine policy expert at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

The UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences recently selected Keith Criddle, professor of resource economics at Utah State University and a former professor of economics at UAF, to the Ted Stevens Distinguished Professorship of Marine Policy. The professorship, named in honor of Senator Ted Stevens, will provide leadership in marine policy with emphasis on the North Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and the Bering, Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

"Congratulations to Dr. Keith Criddle on being selected for this honor," said Senator Ted Stevens. "I am proud to have my name associated with this effort. Our North Pacific fisheries have been lauded as an example of successful fisheries management and conservation. This new distinguished professorship at UAF expands our efforts to ensure the sustainability of our marine resources and will enable us to train the next generation of marine policy scholars."

Headquartered in Juneau, one of the critical roles of the new position will be to provide advice to government agencies and private entities on matters of ocean policy. Criddle hopes to expand this role into one of regular collaboration with the many groups that are involved with protecting and using Alaska’s marine resources.

"This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with academic, industry, government and public interest groups to eventually design a program that will educate the next generation of marine policy leaders," said Criddle. "This new position will contribute to the governance, conservation and sustainable use of the marine resources of the Alaska region."

The Stevens Professorship is an endowed position funded by the Pollock Conservation Cooperative, a consortium of pollock fishing companies of the At-sea Processors Association. The cooperative funds the UAF Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center and the Stevens Professorship, and has donated over $6 million to the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences for these causes.

"We are delighted with the appointment of Dr. Criddle to the UAF marine policy professorship established in honor of Senator Stevens," said Kevin Duffy, executive director of the At-sea Processors Association. "Alaska’s sound stewardship of its marine resources is recognized around the globe. Expanding the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences’ marine policy program furthers Alaska’s leadership in maintaining abundant fish stocks and healthy ecosystems."

Criddle will resign from his post as head of the Department of Economics at Utah State University, where he currently teaches courses in econometrics and resource economics. He received his doctoral and master’s degrees in agricultural economics from the University of California Davis and his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and economics from California State University. Criddle previously served as the interim dean of UAF’s School of Management and has also worked directly with the National Marine Fisheries Service as an industry economist. He is a current member of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council’s Science and Statistical Committee.

The UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences conducts world-class marine and fisheries research, education and outreach across Alaska, the Arctic and Antarctic. More than 60 faculty scientists and 150 graduate students are engaged in building knowledge about Alaska and the world’s coastal and marine ecosystems. SFOS is headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and serves the state from facilities located in Seward, Juneau, Anchorage and Kodiak.

For more information:
Denis Wiesenburg
Dean and Professor
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
(907) 474-7210
wiesenburg@sfos.uaf.edu

Carin Bailey
Public Information Officer
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
(907) 474-7208
bailey@sfos.uaf.edu