The Fisheries Service of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is looking for a few good fish counters. 'Stock-assessment scientists' require a background in maths, computer science and/or conservation — and they are in demand.

A US government report predicts a severe shortfall in the next decade. The Shortage in the Number of Individuals with Post-Baccalaureate Degrees in Subjects Related to Fishery Science, by the departments of commerce and education, says the nation will need at least 340 scientists trained to do the research required to rebuild stocks and restore marine species — but US institutions will produce only 160.

“This can be an incredibly rewarding job. It's the interface between conservation and sustainability and policy-making,” says Steven Murawski, director of scientific programmes and chief science adviser for the Fisheries Service. “You have the opportunity to make a difference.” Stock assessment scientists gather data on species populations, on the basis of catches and aerial surveys. The data inform mathematical models that help design monitoring programmes and predict populations under different management scenarios. This in turn helps regulators to set quotas.

The current shortfall stems from the retirement of scientists hired in the 1960s and 1970s, from new mandates created by the US Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, and from a lack of funding for academics. Whereas some scientists bring in millions of federal dollars, stock-assessment scientists bring in a couple of thousand from NOAA. “It's been an easy choice [for universities],” says Jim Berkson, a unit leader for the Fisheries Service. “But we're trying to make the point that this is a growth industry and it will bring in money.”

Commercial fishermen want more stock-assessment scientists on deck to forestall outdated quotas. Jim Ruhle, president of Commercial Fishermen of America, cites a 2004 butterfish quota based on 2002 data.

Larry Alade, a stock-assessment scientist and research fisheries biologist with the Fisheries Service at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, says he routinely draws on his background in computer science, biology and maths. After a master's in computer science and internships at a Mississippi fishery stock-assessment programme and at Woods Hole, Alade did a PhD in marine estuary and environmental sciences. He's now got a job he loves — contributing to sustainability.