NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Coastal, Marine, and Natural Resource Social Science Internship
Host: National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, fisheries management, enforcement, and habitat conservation. The Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) provides scientific information to support fisheries management and conserve protected species in the California Current, throughout the Pacific Ocean, and in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica. The SWFSC’s Fisheries Ecology Division (FED) studies California demersal and anadromous fishes, their fisheries, and their habitats. Demersal species under study include rockfishes, flatfishes, Pacific whiting, sablefish, and lingcod. Anadromous species include Coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead, and green sturgeon. Results of this research are used by the Pacific Fishery Management Council to manage fisheries and by NOAA Fisheries to manage threatened and endangered species and their habitats.
Location: Santa Cruz, CA (map). Planning for a hybrid workplace and internship experience (mix of in-person and working at home). Fully remote participation may be offered or required based on circumstances.
Format: Hybrid
Internship Dates: June 2 - August 15, 2025
Stipend: $8,000.
Time Commitment: The internship is a full time (40hrs/week), 11-week commitment. Over the 11 weeks, the intern may take up to five days off for personal reasons, vacation or illness. If participation is less than 100%, the stipend will be prorated.
Position Description and Responsibilities: NOAA Fisheries SWFSC’s Fisheries Economics Team is looking to fill one (1) internship position. The Fisheries Economics Team is a program within the Fisheries Ecology Division that conducts social science research on issues important to the management of fisheries, protected species, and ecosystems. The team focuses on three areas: water quality and allocation issues that affect protected fish habitat, use and economic value of ocean and coastal resources, and economic and social dynamics of fishing fleets and communities with an emphasis on groundfish and salmon fisheries.
This internship will support an existing research project under the economic and social dynamics of fishing fleets and communities focus area, adding to our understanding of the salmon fishery in California relative to climate change. One of the questions we would like investigated is, are operating costs changing for fishermen relative to warming events? This question may be answered by evaluating how much activity a given fishing vessel spends focused on salmon fishing: understanding the costs of operating a salmon fishing vessel (i.e., calculate net revenue per salmon trip) and creating a vessel level cost profile for the CA salmon fishery. This research will be a valuable contribution towards forecasting how the fishing industry may be impacted by changes in environmental variables off of the west coast.
Preferred Experience and Capabilities: Intern must be interested in social science (e.g., economics, political science, geography, sociology, psychology, anthropology) and marine or coastal fisheries or endangered species issues. Some experience with data analysis or statistics (R or other statistical software) is preferred but not required. However, the intern must be interested in working with data sets and learning data analysis and programming skills. Interest in reading scientific literature, specifically environmental and resource economics literature, is also strongly preferred. Coursework in economics, statistics, quantitative or qualitative research methods, and/or other social science coursework is preferred but not required. We encourage applications from anyone interested in social science research and who is motivated to learn. We will adapt the internship to the student’s experience level.
Skills Gained: The intern will develop data management, quantitative analysis, and written and oral communication skills while also contributing to research that informs natural resource management. The intern will learn firsthand how social science research integrates with natural science research (e.g., fisheries biology, ecology, molecular biology) in understanding social-ecological systems, and about policies and scientific research to conserve and sustain coastal, marine, and natural resources in California. The intern will gain experience and increase their proficiency in data analysis, statistics, and communicating science to technical audiences and the general public.
Eligibility/Requirements: The intern must be willing to work independently in a friendly, team-oriented environment and interact with a diverse range of colleagues in a professional and courteous manner. The intern must be a U.S. citizen and must pass a federal background investigation, including fingerprints and character references. Applicants are also subject to general eligibility requirements.