Dr. Felicia C. Coleman Office: 850-697-4111
Fax: 850-697-3822
E-mail: coleman@bio.fsu.edu
Coleman and Koenig Research Lab
Scholar Scientist
Director, Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory
Pew Marine Conservation Fellow, 2001
Aldo Leopold Leadership Program Fellow, 2000
Ph.D., Florida State University, 1991
RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS
My primary research interest is in the population ecology of reef fishes. This interest led me to explore the effects of fishing on the demography of exploited populations, particularly in its effects on spawning aggregations of fish in the grouper family (Serranidae). Groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites/ that is, each individual changes sex from female to male over the course of its lifetime. What I found was that, for several species at least, fishing appears to lead to a loss of males, thus skewing the sex ratio in favor of females.
This research, plus my long-standing interest in conservation, led me to question how (or whether) such ecologically relevant information for an exploited species was incorporated into its management and reflected in governmental policy. What I have found over the years is that in many cases, the information is not properly transferred from scientists to policy makers and the general public. I have spent a number of years working to bridge this gap with respect to management of marine resources. In this work, I have been fortunate enough to serve on a number of committees and councils whose charges involve conservation of marine resources, including the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (1996-1999), The National Marine Fisheries Service Ecosystem Management Advisory Panel (1997-1998), The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's Ecosystem Advisory Panel (2004-present), The Tortugas 2000 Marine Reserve Working Group (1998-1999), and the National Research Council (1998-2000, 2004).
I co-direct the Undergraduate Marine Biology Certificate Program in Living Marine Resource Ecology with Dr. William F. Herrnkind. This program is geared toward students interested in pursuing careers in marine science. My lab provides research opportunities for some of these undergraduates and for several graduate students. I also develop international symposia on topics of timely and high relevance to policy in marine fisheries, through Florida State University endowed William R. and Lenore Mote Eminent Scholar Chair in Fisheries Ecology. The five symposia held thus far have covered stock enhancement, marine reserves and essential fish habitat, biological reference points, ecosystem management, and the integration of fisheries and human ecology in fisheries management. Proceedings from the symposia are published in the Bulletin of Marine Science.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Coleman, F., C. Koenig, and L. A. Collins. 1996. Reproductive styles of shallow-water grouper, consequences of fishing spawning aggregations. Environmental Biology of Fishes 47: 129-141.
Coleman, F. C., and S. Williams. 2002. Overexploiting marine ecosystem engineers: potential consequences for biodiversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 17: 40-44.
Dayton, P. K., S. Thrush, and F. C. Coleman. 2002. Ecological effects of fishing in marine ecosystems of the United States. Pew Oceans Commission, Arlington, Virginia. 45 pp.
Coleman, F. C., W. F. Figueira, J. S. Ueland, and L. B. Crowder. 2004. The impact of U.S. recreational fisheries on marine fish populations. Science 305: 1958-1960.