Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Programs Opens Applications for 2022 Summer
January 20, 2022
Hutton is an internship program supported by the American Fisheries Society to support high school students interested in a career in fishery sciences.
NATIONWIDE一 Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program opened their applications for summer 2022 internships Dec. 15, 2021-Feb.15.
High school students, current sophomores through current seniors, can apply through the Hutton website for an eight-week paid internship focused on fishery management and aquatic sciences to encourage students to pursue careers in the profession.
The program was launched in 2001 through the American Fisheries Society (AFS), a network of over 8,000 biologists, fisheries managers, professors, ecologists, aquaculturists, etc., who are dedicated to strengthening the fisheries profession, advancing fisheries science, and conserving fisheries resources.
Two members of AFS established the program in 2001 to be a summer internship to introduce underrepresented students to the fishery science profession and ideally inspire them to continue a career path in fishery sciences.
Students who participate in the program will work 40-hour work weeks while conducting research in a lab, working in the field, and taking part in studies, and day-to-day research, and management.
“They [students] could go out in a boat and do trawling surveys,” said Mary Webb, educational program coordinator for AFS. “They could be doing shoreline surveys, or in rivers; they could be electrofishing and collecting fish. They could be collecting data and doing more lab-based research and the day-to-day maintenance, and really understand all the facets to be a fishery professional.”
Hutton accepts applications from students in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; they place between 20 to 35 students a year based on funding.
If students are chosen from the application process, Hutton and AFS then work with local, state, and federal organizations to place the student with a fisheries science professional in their area.
“AFS is a network of more than 8,000 fishery biologists that span internationally, so we have great representation in California,” said Webb. “So, if a student is selected from the area, we would work to reach out to our network to place those students with a university, a state agency, a federal agency and make sure they have a really great summer experience.”
Local students have previously been placed with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the University of San Diego.
During the internship, students are paid directly through AFS, which receives funding from private donations and partnerships with federal agencies and a grant from NOAA, allowing them to continue programs like this.
According to Webb, alumni have stayed on to volunteer with their mentors from the internship, and many have joined sub-units of AFS at their universities.
California hosts student sub-units at Chico State University, in the Santa Cruz-Monterey Bay and the Sacramento-Davis areas.
“We also have a pretty good reputation of students staying pretty close in touch with their mentors, and their mentors provide good opportunities for students to continue to learn and grow and gain experience in fisheries,” said Webb.
Students can apply for the internship through the Hutton website at https://hutton.fisheries.org/.
Students will be asked to create a profile on the AFS website and fill out an online questionnaire, respond to the required essay questions, fill out a student reference form from a teacher, coach, or community member, and then their most recent transcripts.
“We are really looking for students who are passionate about environmental conservation and want to pursue a career in fisheries or aquatic science profession,” said Webb.
Interested students will need to submit applications by Feb. 15.
