STEVEN MURAWSKI RECEIVES AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
FROM THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY
Steven Murawski and AFS First Vice President Miguel Garcia
(Grand Rapids, Michigan) August 22, 2023 – Steven Murawski, Ph.D., of the University of South Florida, received the Award of Excellence at the American Fisheries Society (AFS) 153rd Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. AFS President April Croxton and First Vice President Miguel Garcia presented the award to Murawski at one of the conference’s plenary sessions. The Award of Excellence is the Society’s highest award for scientific achievement. It recognizes original and outstanding scientific contributions in the fields of fisheries and aquatic biology.
Dr. Murawski began his early career as a research fisheries biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), first at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and then Woods Hole, Massachusetts. At Woods Hole, he rose to the position of chief of the Population Dynamics Branch of NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
In 2005, Murawski assumed the duties of Director of the Office of Science and Technology at NMFS Headquarters in Silver Spring Maryland, where he was responsible for managing large national programs and supervising science conducted by the six regional science centers. He later became the Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor (the “Chief Scientist”) for NMFS. As Chief Scientist, he was involved in every aspect of science supporting management actions by the agency, including the 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
Murawski retired from federal service in 2011 and assumed his current role as the Downtown Partnership-Peter Betzer Endowed Chair in biological oceanography at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science. During his academic career, he has mentored 25 graduate students and has been the principal investigator on over $57 million in grants, including large-scale studies of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the establishment of the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT) a cooperative agreement between USF and the NOAA Office of Coast Survey.
A consistent theme of Dr. Murawski’s research has been the importance of understanding and managing fish and fisheries in an ecosystem context. In a series of papers, including an AFS Special Symposium, he evaluated the impacts of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) as a conservation tool for fisheries management. These papers remain among the most influential and highly cited in the field of marine protected area science. His paper, “Climate Change and Marine Fish Distributions, Forecasting from Historic Analogy”, published in the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society in 1993, foretold the poleward range shifts of fish populations under climate change – a scenario now being played out around the world.
“The impacts of his research, mentorship, and advice have altered the course of fisheries science and management of marine resources,” said Croxton. “Given the breath and impact of his career, AFS is proud to present the 2023 Award of Excellence to Dr. Steven Murawski.”
Founded in 1870, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) is the world’s oldest and largest fisheries science society. The mission of AFS is to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals. With five journals and numerous books and conferences, AFS is the leading source of fisheries science and management information in North America and around the world.
