Jack McDermott - M.S. student

Contact: [email protected]
Website: jeraldmcdermott.com

Research Interests:
I am broadly interested in applied ecological research within the context of marine ecosystems, fisheries management, and conservation. My research integrates ecological and social elements of fisheries population ecology, target species and bycatch spatial distribution, habitat suitability, and fisheries management strategy.

For my MS, I hope to investigate highly migratory species (tuna, billfish, sharks, etc.) distributions and predict response under long-term warming and short-term anomalous events. Additionally, I am excited to collaborate with regional stakeholders on topics of dynamic ocean management through my research.

Background:
My life has in some way, shape, or form centered around water and the outdoors. Growing up in Washington, I was consistently surrounded by fishing, rivers, Puget Sound, and salmon which led me towards an early career interest in aquatic science. However, I took a brief hiatus at the beginning of my undergrad to pursue work in commercial outdoor photography.

I completed my undergraduate degree in social science at the University of Washington in 2020 studying human dimensions of sustainability, natural resource management, and environmental change. I bridged photography back to my original interest in the conservation field through Long Live the Kings, an organization focused on salmon and steelhead recovery in Washington. At LLTK, I helped lead communication and outreach as well as support many of the ongoing salmon-related hatchery and field projects.

In 2022 I moved to San Diego to broaden my experience in fisheries management and research beyond salmon (and admittedly in search of sun). Initially I worked as a Scientific Aid for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Groundfish Project to collect biological data from rockfish caught in the recreational fishery. I also worked as a fisheries observer in California’s large-mesh drift gillnet, deep-set buoy gear, and deep-set longline fisheries targeting swordfish and tuna. As an observer I recorded a wide range of fisheries data and collected numerous biological samples including swordfish eyes and stomachs, shark vertebrae and stomachs, tuna stomachs, and more. I hope my at-sea experience as an observer will continue to inform my research well into my career.

Beyond work and school, I enjoy freediving, hiking, and photography above and below water. As a hobby, I also have a unique interest in poison dart frogs and their ecology. If you have any questions about my work, SDSU, or the Conservation Ecology Lab, please don't hesitate to contact me. To learn more about me or my work, visit my website.