Press Releases

April 25, 2000
The Rewards of Hard Work: A Fulbright to Study Ocean Fishes in Mexico

Contact:
Jane Finalborgo
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

Southampton College Has its 35th Fulbright Scholar

Southampton, NY -- John Richert learned the value of hard work from his father, a mason by trade since the age of fourteen.

"As I grew up, I watched his labors, and as a young man I worked alongside him. His effort was an important example in my life," said the 21-year-old college student. Now Richert's own hard work has paid off.

He has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for graduate study in Mexico. There, in the waters off the Baja Peninsula, he plans to pursue a research interest he developed as a marine science major at Southampton College of Long Island University where he is now a senior - the movement and distribution of ocean fishes. Richert is Southampton College's 35th Fulbright Scholar, an outstanding record for a college of its size.

Richert, a native of Walden, NY, will use techniques he learned while on a nine-month internship at Bodega Marine Lab in California where he studied great white sharks with Dr. Peter Klimley, one of the foremost shark biologists in the country. Dr. Klimley has been featured in National Geographic as well as in several films.

"This project is truly excellent and so is the Fulbright candidate," wrote Dr. Klimley in recommending Richert for the award.

Though he learned a great deal about white sharks from analyzing data, he has never actually seen one - yet. He is happy about the recent publicity surrounding "Jaws" director Peter Benchley's changed attitude toward the way white sharks were portrayed in his famous movie. "I think it shows that if people learn about sharks, they can replace fear with respect," said Richert. "It's true that sharks should be more afraid of humans than the other way around. Overfishing can be really harmful to them because of how long it takes for them to reproduce."

Richert is the 32nd Fulbright Scholar in the past 25 years to come from Southampton College's marine and environmental programs, considered among the top in the country. The programs emphasize hands-on research and experience in the field. As an undergraduate Richert participated in both SEAmester, a Southampton College semester at sea aboard a 131-foot schooner, and Tropical Marine Biology, a month-long travel/research trip to the South Pacific.

"It's exciting to be offered an opportunity to complete such a fascinating project in this amazing environment," said Richert, who played for three years on Southampton's intercollegiate soccer team while maintaining a 3.85 grade point average.

Richert's research will be conducted in the ocean waters around a seamount off La Paz, Mexico, a natural laboratory for ocean fishes. He will investigate a number of species that are important to both the commercial and sport fishing industries including yellowfin tuna, billfish, sharks, jacks, and dolphin fish.

An experienced SCUBA diver, Richert will dive on the seamount to observe the fish, and travel with commercial fishermen to collect fish stomachs from the catch so that he can analyze their contents in an effort to document predator-prey relationships. Using techniques he learned from Dr. Klimley he will track the movements of the fish using electronic tagging and a radio-acoustic positioning system that has been highly successful in tracking white sharks.

"Developing tracking techniques is important because you can't study these fish effectively through direct observation," Richert explains. "They are open ocean fish, fast swimmers that don't stay around long."

Richert will work under the supervision of Dr. Arturo Muhlia-Melo a scientist with Centro de Investigationes Biologicos del Noreste (CIBNOR). The research is aimed at helping to preserve these fish that are so important not only commercially but also ecologically. It will also help support collaborative research between the United States and Mexico that is vital in this effort.

Richert's interest in marine science developed even before he went to high school through his childhood love of animals. When his family vacationed on Jersey shore, he fell in love with the sea. Studying animals that dwell in the ocean seemed a natural combination of the two interests.

"Though I learned hard work was the way to meet success, perhaps it was good play that defined my career goals," he said. Now that marine science is firmly in his future, Richert says he plans to pursue a doctoral degree. This fall he will attend the University of California at Davis where he will be in the Marine Ecology doctoral program. In January he plans to leave for Mexico to pursue his Fulbright studies.

"Through my career I plan to conduct research that will not only education scientists and the public on these marine species but also help to conserve these spectacles of the sea for future generations," he said.

Richert is the son of Erhard and Margaret Richert of Walden, New York. He credits family with helping him succeed through their support in all his endeavors.