Franz
Mueter
University of Alaska Fairbanks

I am currently on the faculty as a fishery biometrician at the Juneau Center, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Born and raised in northern Germany, I began biological studies at the Rhino-Westphalian Technical Institute in Aachen before moving to Fairbanks in 1988 to pursue graduate degrees in biological (MS) and fisheries oceanography (PhD), as well as biostatistics (MS). My research initially focused on the early life history of pollock and flatfishes in nearshore waters of the Gulf of Alaska, and gradually expanded to include adult groundfish communities throughout the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. I have also modeled recruitment processes of salmon throughout the Northeast Pacific and have worked on other anadromous species in Alaskan waters, including the Beaufort Sea.

My research interests focus on the effects of environmental variability on the distribution, abundance, recruitment, and survival of fishes in subarctic and arctic waters. I am particularly interested in the applied aspects of my research, particularly as they relate to the management of fisheries resources. This includes the development of ecosystem indicators and improved models to advance an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management.

I came to the Bering Sea Project through my interest in the effects of climate change on Bering Sea groundfish and on the Bering Sea ecosystem in general. I look forward to participating in and contributing to a truly integrated project.