The Forums

The forums are the cornerstone of the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum. Each fall and spring we invite members of all eight regional fishery management councils to join us on the campuses of Duke and Stanford Universities.

The forums are three-day workshops where council members learn about and discuss conservation and management challenges as well as share successes and innovations. Participants explore a variety of science and management topics via reality-based case study exercises. They also have an opportunity to develop and refine critical management skills such as negotiation, consensus-building and structured decision-making.

The forums offer council members a unique opportunity to network with each other, academics and experts from the partner institutions as well as different government agencies.

The case study method, employed by many graduate school programs, provides an opportunity for creative problem solving outside the confines of the traditional fishery management process. The ultimate objective is to foster critical thinking, problem-solving and leadership skills via lively and collaborative discussions between and amongst council members and invited experts. There are no right answers or solutions. Instead, the case study approach emphasizes the importance of understanding diverse perspectives and evaluating a range of potential tools and solutions.

Case studies are loosely based on real world fisheries and management challenges; however they are not intended to judge past actions or prescribe solutions for future decisions.

The forums include a blend of small and large group discussions to allow council members to share experiences from different regions and to analyze potential solutions to the questions posed. To build upon and reinforce the themes of the case studies, we enlist the expertise of academic and government scientists, fishermen and policy experts both domestically and abroad to give presentations and engage in discussions with council members.