Bobby Murphy striped bass

Does public education lead to environmental stewardship?

That’s the question recent MSC PhD graduate Bobby Murphy set out to answer with one chapter of his dissertation. Working with MSC Professor Jon Grabowski, and Associate Professor Steven Scyphers, Murphy surveyed Massachusetts angers and found that people are more likely to support more restrictive fishing regulations if they believe Striped Bass take a long time to grow to reproductive maturity. The results, recently published in the journal Marine Policy suggest that individual’s understanding of fish biology aligns with their support for environmental policies. The interdisciplinary nature of this study allowed researchers to leverage both social science and biological science to enhance strategies that encourage public compliance with resource management policies.