Undergraduate Chosen For Inaugural NOAA Fisheries Internship

Tremaine Hughes was one of only 15 students selected for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration competitive summer internship that provides students with hands-on experience in marine science. The biology major said he learned about the program from a relative who works in the field. The program at NOAA Fisheries called IN FISH! partners scientists with academic and private nonprofit researchers to help build a diverse and inclusive workforce.

“During my internship, I learned about complex systems and how they connect to everyday life, as well as NOAA’s many environmental science departments,” said Hughes, a student on Georgia Southern’s Armstrong Campus. “This internship provided me with a wealth of knowledge and allowed me to participate in the research of oceanic trends.”

Hughes was virtually mentored by research fisheries biologists Katey Marancik and David Richardson, Ph.D., and fishery biologist Harvey Walsh at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s laboratory in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

“My research focused on the breeding season of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, comparing larval fish populations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Slope Sea,” Hughes said. “The Gulf of Mexico is a major spawning ground for Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, but recent research has shown that the Slope Sea is another major spawning ground. Comparing the two areas will help determine what Bluefin Tuna need in a spawning ground.”

Hughes explained an examination of the data from both locations showed that the larval fish populations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Slope Sea were comparable during the Bluefin Tuna spawning season, implying that the two regions have similar environments.

Due to the pandemic, the 10-week undergraduate program was conducted online. It included a two-week workshop course and eight weeks of project experience. Hughes also received a $5,000 stipend, with tuition and course supplies also covered. The Augusta, Georgia, native said he gained valuable networking opportunities and job-related skills from the internship that will benefit his future career as a fish biologist.