During his year-long fellowship, Benjamin will work to increase collaboration between the National Ocean Service and National Marine Fisheries Service in order to better understand and address derelict fishing gear. Benjamin will also support additional projects and program activities. 

Benjamin is finishing up his master’s program at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, where he is developing a new approach for age determination in fish. His work with Northeast Fisheries Science Center piqued his interest into all the great work NOAA does and he is using his Knauss fellowship to take a closer look at the inner workings of NOAA. Benjamin encountered the topic of derelict fishing gear frequently while working on fisheries issues, and he is looking forward to working with the Marine Debris Program on this important issue.

For more information, please contact Benjamin.Frey@noaa.gov.