What is QUEST?
The Quantitative Ecology and Socioeconomics Training (QUEST) program supports educating and training the next generation of stock assessment scientists, ecosystem scientists, and economists. All three career fields are mission critical for NOAA Fisheries and effective living marine resource management.
Why is QUEST needed?
Stock assessment scientists, ecosystem scientists, and economists at agencies such as NOAA provide essential information for the sustainable management of living marine resources. They develop the tools used to evaluate the status of fish stocks, advise managers on the likely effects of alternate management policies, and are essential to help avoid overfishing and for developing rebuilding strategies. These scientists are also essential to the implementation of the Magnuson Stevens Conservation and Management Act (MSA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), and other mandates that guide the management and conservation of marine protected species. Capacity building for the NOAA Fisheries workforce in all three disciplines is essential if NOAA is to successfully implement MSA, MMPA, ESA, and related mandates and to continue sustainably managing and conserving our nation’s living marine resources in the years to come.
