Morgan Bancroft ‘13
Advisor: Lorenzo Cianelli and Cliff Ryer
Field of Study: Fisheries
Morgan, better know as Mo, is seeking a M.S. in Marine Resource Management under the joint guidance of Lorenzo Ciannelli in the Fisheries Oceanography Lab at OSU and Cliff Ryer from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Newport, OR. His research addresses at the effects of hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen) and 
temperature on the growth of juvenile English sole (Paroprhys vetulus), and larval Dungeness crab (Cancer magister).
Hypoxic events, or ‘dead zones’, are characterized by seafloors or riverbeds littered with the carcasses of fishes and invertebrates. Hypoxia is generally coupled with warm water temperatures, low flow and eutrophication in enclosed systems. Along the Oregon Coast, however, summer upwelling conditions draw water from deep-ocean oxygen minimum zones resulting in this natural phenomenon. While these hypoxic events clearly have detrimental effects on adult fish and invertebrate species, the long term effects of low dissolved oxygen on juveniles and larvae are relatively unstudied.
Oregon estuaries and nearshore habitats are influenced by a variety of oceanographic conditions and are critical nursery grounds for commercially and ecologically important species. Mo’s experiment is comprised of temperature and dissolved oxygen controlled tanks that simulate a range of summer ocean conditions that may occur in these nursery grounds. Growth will be measured as an indicator of habitat quality: the resulting experimental data will be compared to field measurements to create a predictive model of habitat quality after larval settlement.
Before coming to Corvallis to study at Oregon State University, Mo was a fisheries observer on commercial fishing vessels, fishing from various ports on the Oregon Coast. Prior to that, he worked with different projects for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as an experimental biology aide, measuring biological data from shellfish, hagfish, spot prawns, abalone, salmon and sundry other organisms. As much as he enjoys working elbows deep in fishes and invertebrates, he also came to appreciate some of the conversations and the perspectives of commercial fishermen and other stakeholders. Hoping that someday he might become a valued member of a fishing community in some capacity, he sought the multidisciplinary MRM program to develop his interests and fisheries management skillset.
