The October 2005 issue of Fortune magazine names Dr. Ransom A. Myers as one of the world's top ten movers and shakers: people who will change the way the world operates over the next 75 years. The prominent business magazine predicts that Myers' work on fish population dynamics and the depletion of sharks, tuna and other fish species will foster "new and better ways to husband the wealth beneath the sea."

Dr. Myers holds the Killam Chair of Ocean Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Myers received his B.Sc. in Physics from Rice University, and his M.Sc. in Mathematics and Ph.D. in Biology from Dalhousie University. He has published over 100 refereed scientific publications in diverse fields of aquatic ecology.

Dr. Myers' current, major research is on extinction in the ocean. In recent papers published in Nature and Science, he has shown dramatic declines in the populations of large, predatory fish since the start of industrial fishing in the 1950s. Much of Dr. Myers' work involves the meta-analysis of data from many populations. By treating each population as a realization of a natural experiment, it is possible to discover patterns in nature that have not been seen before because they are lost in the noise of individual populations. This work is exciting because it is possible to arrive at solutions to both theoretical and applied problems in population biology and resource management. In order to carry out the meta-analysis, Dr. Myers has compiled much of the population dynamics data on fish in the world. This is data on over 800 time series, and provides the empirical basis for his theoretical analysis.

Dr. Myers has carried out fundamental work on the causes of the collapse of fish stocks, in particular, the cod stocks in Eastern Canada. Dr. Myers is also actively involved in developing methods for the optimal management of exploited populations. Recently, this work has turned to models of extinction, which is a growing concern in the marine environment. He is currently working on models for the extinction of salmonid species, elasmobranchs, and marine turtles.

Dr. Myers has served on the Board of Directors of The International Oceans Institute of Canada, Ocean Institute of Canada, and the Resource Modeling Association. Dr. Myers research has been supported by a wide variety of government, industry, conservation, and private foundations. These include Killam Foundation, National Science and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Canadian Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Environment Canada, Nova Scotia Power, Inc, Conservation Council of New Brunswick, World Wildlife Fund, and Canada Trust-Friends of the Environment Foundation.

Dr. Andrew Rosenberg is a Professor in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire where, prior to April 2004, he was dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.  Over the past three years he has also been a member of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.  

Prior to coming to UNH he was the Deputy Director of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service from 1998-2000, the senior career position in the agency.  As Deputy Director, he dealt with policy decisions on science and resource management issues nationwide as well as the administration of the agency.  He was also a principal agency spokesperson before Congress, the public and technical audiences.  Before becoming NMFS Deputy Director, Dr. Rosenberg was the NMFS Northeast Regional Administrator.  He negotiated and implemented the recovery program for New England fisheries, reversing overfishing and resource declines on George’s Bank as well as other areas for groundfish and scallop fisheries.  He also worked to develop and implement marine mammal recovery programs and endangered species protections throughout the Northeast.  He also has served as the U.S. lead representative in several international fishery management organizations such as NAFO, NASCO and FAO.   

Dr. Rosenberg’s scientific work is in the field of population dynamics, resource assessment and resource management policy.  He holds a B.S. in Fisheries Biology from the University of Massachusetts, an M.S. in Oceanography from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Dalhousie University.  He was on the faculty of Imperial College of Science and Technology in London for six years and was the Deputy Director of the Renewable Resources Assessment Group, and internationally known quantitative analysis and policy consultancy group.  He currently also serves as the Senior Vice President of MRAG Americas, a consulting company with offices in Florida, Massachusetts and affiliated with MRAG, a  London-based international marine resource  consultancy.