More than three billion people across the world rely on wild-caught and farmed seafood as a significant source of protein, according to the World Wildlife Fund. But behind this vital resource lies a tangled web of political tensions and environmental threats, namely in global hotspots like Alaska and the western Pacific Ocean.
For Tatum Delaney, a second-year graduate student pursuing a dual M.S. and Ph.D., these global issues are the focus of her daily life and research — and have earned her a $2,500 scholarship from the SBB Research Group Foundation.
Delaney studies conflicts in fisheries located in Alaska and the western Pacific Ocean, and she explained that each region presents its own unique challenges. In Alaska, the biggest issue fisheries face is “infractions in environmental law,” according to Delaney. Whereas in the Pacific Ocean, there are more “illegal activities and political tensions between numerous countries” that can cause political turmoil.
She studies each region using data sets that contain news articles about violent or political tensions occurring in each of the regions. Using the data sets, Delaney can track locations of interest to the area and understand how the turmoil affects the production of food and the livelihoods of fishermen. The more turmoil and political uncertainty, the more “problems” for the people in the communities.
“So many coastal communities rely on the ocean and fishing to not only provide them with food, but to also make a living,” Delaney said.
Her research helps communities understand — and potentially combat — the “drivers of fishing violations” and combat illegal fishing practices, according to Delaney.
“The greater goal of research like this is to increase transparency and awareness of issues in our oceans,” Delaney said.
During her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, Delaney was interested in environmental science but was not set on a “niche” to study — that is, until she interned with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association the summer after her junior year of college, which led her to focus in conservational biology.
“I fell in love with the ocean and with what is unknown about it,” Delaney said. “I enjoyed working with statistical models of the ocean, which is a skill I use today in my research efforts.”
Now at Cornell, Delaney is excited to connect with the public about her research and said that reserving this scholarship was an honor and that she is grateful for the generous support. She hopes that her research will “secur[e] food for coastal communities and ensur[e] the livelihoods of the people who work fishery-related jobs.”
“It is really inspiring to see this firm in Chicago care and fund STEM research, especially during times like this,” Delaney said.
Now, she hopes to utilize the funds to “connect with the public” and highlight the importance of her research. She emphasized how important it was to connect her research with people and policy.
Delaney hopes to leverage the Brooks School of Public Policy, The Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability — pointing out that each of them will serve as a fraction of her goal.
“My research is not just about fisheries, but also about people at the heart of the issue,” Delaney said. “I hope to use policy and other mechanisms to help positively impact the lives of the people at hand.”
Delaney recently attended a United Nations conference in France, where she said she had the chance to connect with people and learn more about the effects of her research. She emphasized how important the intersections between policy and citizens’ lives are.
“In my research, there are so many systems that are connected, economic, social and political,” Delaney said. “We have to be studying these as integrated issues to be able to continue feeding communities and give people livelihoods that they’ve relied on for hundreds of years.”
Currently, Delaney is focused on building statistical models for Alaska and working with a data set provided to her by the WWF. She hopes to publish a manuscript about her research in Alaska.
“Working on a Department of Defense grant and receiving this scholarship was an honor,” Delaney said. “I am excited to work on my research this year.”
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the feature editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
