Education

• B.S., Cornell University
• M.S., University of Rhode Island (biological oceanography)
• M.S., University of Rhode Island (statistics)
• Ph.D., University of Rhode Island (biological oceanography)

Research Interests

I'm interested in developing methods for studying population dynamics and assessing fisheries including determining appropriate management options. I use statistical theory, mathematical modeling, and computer simulation to develop methods for interpreting tagging, survey, catch, effort, and age data, and just about any other type of data available. Specific interests include sport fisheries, commercial fisheries for invertebrates, elasmobranch life history and fisheries, tropical fisheries, Indian treaty rights to fish, and conflict resolution through technical analysis. My research has led me to

• estimate which river stocks of American shad are being caught in pound nets that catch a mixed stock assemblage,
• determine the survival rate of discarded fish (sharks),
• estimate the efficiency of a scallop dredge in order to determine the biomass of scallops and set a catch quota,
• evaluate the effectiveness of a marine sanctuary for blue crabs,
• estimate actual and potential rates of population growth of barndoor skates and lemon sharks,
• estimate survival rates and break the total mortality rate into its components (fishing mortality and "other mortality"), with applications to lake trout, red drum, rock lobster, blue crab and striped bass. 

Species I Study

Research Highlights

Current Projects

• Striped Bass Assessment and Disease Research Program
• Assessment of population dynamics of blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay (with Rom Lipcius)
• Assessment of western rock lobster in Western Australia (with Simon de Lestang)
• Impacts of Epizootic Shell Disease on American lobsters in Southern New England (with Matt Smith, Jeff Shields, Tom Dolan and Don Landers)
• Development of mortality estimators based on mean length statistics (with Amy Then and Todd Gedamke)

International Collaborations

• Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania
• Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)
• Collaborative Ties with Western Australia

Advice on Writing Theses, Preparing PowerPoint Presentations and Making Posters

• The easy way to write a prospectus, thesis, dissertation or scientific paper
• How to win a prize for the worst seminar graphics (and, essential principles of graphing data) [I recommend you download this file rather than viewing it online]
• How to prepare a perfectly putrid poster
• How to Write a Scientific Paper. (tongue in cheek expose) Copyright 1996 by Eric Schulman.
  Originally published in the Annals of Improbable Research, Volume II, Number 5, September/October 1996, page 8. Used by permission.
  More of Dr. Schulman's work may be found at http://members.verizon.net/~vze3fs8i/air/

Advice to Prospective Students

• Advice on how to choose an advisor
• How to be a successful graduate student
• Diving at VIMS

Advice on Analyzing Data

• Data quality control procedures
• On fisheries notation

Software for Stock Assessment and Statistical Analysis

• Free, downloadable useful functions in R
• Links to other sites with useful, free software

Selected Publications

Click here for a complete list of publications

• Hoenig, J. M. and T. Gedamke. 2007. A simple method for estimating survival rate from catch rates from multiple years. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 136: 1245-1251.  See also Erratum Table.
• Hewitt, D. A., D. M. Lambert, J. M. Hoenig, R. N. Lipcius, D. B. Bunnell, and T. J. Miller. 2007. Direct and Indirect Estimates of Natural Mortality for Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 136:1030-1040.
• Gedamke, T., J. M. Hoenig, J. A. Musick, W. D. DuPaul, and Samuel H. Gruber. 2007. Using Demographic Models to Determine Intrinsic Rate of Increase and Sustainable Fishing for Elasmobranchs: Pitfalls, Advances and Applications. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 27:605-618.
• Jiang, H., K.H. Pollock, C. Brownie, J.E. Hightower, J.M. Hoenig and W.S. Hearn. 2007. Age dependent tag return models for estimating fishing mortality, natural mortality and selectivity. J. Agric., Biol. and Environ. Statistics 12(2):177-194.
• Jiang, H., K.H. Pollock, C. Brownie, J.M. Hoenig, R.L. Latour, B.K. Wells, and J.E. Hightower. 2007. Tag return models allowing for harvest and catch and release: evidence of environmental and management impacts on striped bass fishing and natural mortality rates. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 27:387-396.
• Lambert, D.M., J.M. Hoenig, and R.N. Lipcius. 2006. Tag-return estimation of annual and semi-annual survival rates of adult female blue crabs. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 135:1592-1603.
• Lambert, D.M., R.N. Lipcius, and J.M. Hoenig. 2006. Assessing effectiveness of the blue crab spawning stock sanctuary in Chesapeake Bay using tag-return methodology. Marine Ecology Progress Series 321:215-225.
• Hueter, R.E., C.A. Manire, J. Tyminski, J.M. Hoenig and D.A. Hepworth. 2006. Assessing Mortality of Released or Discarded Fish Using a Logistic Model of Relative Survival Derived from Tagging Data. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 135:500-508.
• Gedamke, T., and J.M. Hoenig. 2006. Estimating Mortality from Mean Length Data in Nonequilibrium Situations, with Application to the Assessment of Goosefish (Lophius americanus). Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 135:476-487.
• Gedamke, T., W. DuPaul and J.M. Hoenig. 2005. Index-Removal Estimation of Dredge Efficiency for the Georges Bank Sea Scallop Fishery. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 25:1122-1129.
• Gedamke, T., W. DuPaul and J.M. Hoenig. 2004. A spatially explicit open-ocean DeLury analysis to estimate gear efficiency in the dredge fishery for sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 24:335-351.
• Frusher, S.D. and J.M. Hoenig. 2003. Recent developments in estimating fishing and natural mortality and tag reporting rate of lobsters using multi-year tagging models. Fish. Res. 65:379-390.
• Frusher, S.D., J.M. Hoenig and C. Gardner. 2003. Have changes in selectivity masked recruitment declines in crustacean trap fisheries? Fish. Res. 65:467-474.
• Latour, R.J., J.M. Hoenig, D.A. Hepworth and S.D. Frusher. 2003. A novel tag-recovery model with two size classes for estimating fishing and natural mortality, with implications for the southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) in Tasmania, Australia. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 60:1075-1085.
• Pestal, G.P., D.M. Taylor, J.M. Hoenig, J.D. Shields, and R. Pickavance. 2003. Monitoring the prevalence of the parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium sp. in snow crabs Chionoecetes opilio from Conception Bay, Newfoundland. Dis. Aquat. Org. 53:67-75.
• Hearn, W.S., J.M. Hoenig, K.H. Pollock and D. Hepworth. 2003. Tag Reporting Rate Estimation: 3. Use of Planted Tags in One Component of a Multiple-Component Fishery. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 23:66-77.
• Hoenig, J.M., R.C. Hanumara and D.M. Heisey. 2002. Generalizing Double and Triple Sampling for Repeated Surveys and Partial Verification. Biometrical Journal 44:603-618.
• Pollock, K.H., J.M. Hoenig, W.S. Hearn and B. Calingaert. 2002. Tag reporting rate estimation: 2. Use of high-reward tagging and observers in multiple-component fisheries. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 22:727-736.
• Gruber, S.H., J.R.C. de Marignac and J.M. Hoenig. 2001. Survival of Juvenile Lemon Sharks at Bimini, Bahamas, Estimated by Mark-Depletion Experiments. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 130:376-384.
• Hoenig, J.M. and D.M. Heisey. 2001. The Abuse of Power: the Pervasive Fallacy of Power Calculations for Data Analysis. American Statistician 55(1):19-24.
• Olney, J.E. and J.M. Hoenig. 2001. Managing a Fishery Under Moratorium: Assessment Opportunities for Virginia's Stocks of American Shad. Fisheries 26(2)6-12.
• Pollock, K.H., J.M. Hoenig, W.S. Hearn and B. Calingaert. 2001. Tag Reporting Rate Estimation: 1. An Evaluation of the High-Reward Tagging Method. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 21:521-532.
• Latour, R.J., J.M. Hoenig, J.E. Olney and K.H. Pollock. 2001. A Simple Test for Nonmixing in Multiyear Tagging Studies: Application to Striped Bass Tagged in the Rappahannock River, Virginia. Trans. Am. Fish. Fish. Soc. 130:848-856.
• Latour, R.J., J.M. Hoenig, J.E. Olney and K.H. Pollock. 2001. Diagnostics for Multiyear Tagging Models with Application to Atlantic Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 58:1716-1726.
• Frusher, S.D. and J.M. Hoenig. 2001. Estimating Natural And Fishing Mortality And Tag Reporting Rate Of Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) From A Multiyear Tagging Model. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 58:2490-2501.
• Chen, C.-L., K.H. Pollock, and J.M. Hoenig. 1998. Combining Change-in-Ratio, Index-Removal and Removal Models for Estimating Population Size. Biometrics 54:815-827.
• Hoenig, J.M., N.J. Barrowman, K.H. Pollock, E.N. Brooks, W.S. Hearn and T. Polacheck. 1998. Models for tagging data that allow for incomplete mixing of newly tagged animals. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55:1477-1483.
• Hoenig, J.M., N.J. Barrowman, W.S. Hearn and K.H. Pollock. 1998. Multiyear tagging studies incorporating fishing effort data. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55:1466-1476.
• Hoenig, J.M., C.M. Jones, K.H. Pollock, D.S. Robson and D.L. Wade. 1997. Calculation of catch rate and total catch in roving surveys of anglers. Biometrics 53:306-317.
• Myers, R.A. and J.M. Hoenig. 1997. Direct Estimates of Gear Selectivity from Multiple Tagging Experiments. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54:1-9.
• Dawe, E.G., J.M. Hoenig and X. Xu. 1993. Change-in-ratio and index-removal methods for population assessment and their application to snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50:1467-1476.
• Restrepo, V.R., J.M. Hoenig, J.E. Powers, J.W. Baird and S.C. Turner. 1992. A simple simulation approach to risk and cost analysis, with applications to swordfish and cod fisheries. U.S. Fishery Bull. 90:736-748.

Current Students

• Matthew Smith
• Amy Then
• Kristen Omori
• Lisa Ailloud

Past Students

Lynn Waterhouse. M.S. 2011. (co-advisor with Mary Fabrizio).
Thesis: Partial Year Tagging Models: accounting for changing tag visibility and delayed mixing.

Todd Gedamke. Ph.D. 2006. (co-advisor with Bill DuPaul and Jack Musick).
Dissertation: Developing a stock assessment for the barndoor skate (Dipturus laevis) in the Northeast United States.
Awarded the John M. and Marilyn Zeigler Student Achievement Award, May 2007. See the write-up in Fisheries magazine about Todd.

 
John Walter. Ph.D. 2006. Dissertation: Incorporating aspects of space into stock assessment of several marine species.
 
Debra Lambert. M.S. (co-advisor with Romuald Lipcius) 2005.
Thesis: Estimation of annual and semi-annual survival of adult female blue crabs and assessment of the effectiveness of the Virginia blue crab sanctuary using tag-return methodology.
Awarded the John M. and Marilyn Zeigler Student Achievement Award, May, 2006. 
 
Donna Grusha. M.S. 2005.
Thesis: Investigation of the life-history of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus (Mitchill 1815).

Stewart Frusher. Ph.D. 2001. Dissertation: Evaluation of techniques for estimating fishery assessment parameters in the Tasmanian rock lobster fishery. (I was co-supervisor of this student at the University of Tasmania). 

Courses Taught/Teaching

• MS 670 Stock Assessment Methods
• MS 698 Statistical and Graphical Analysis Using R
• MS 698 Multivariate Statistics in R

Student Awards

• 2012. Kristen Omori awarded a VIMS Council Fellowship from the VIMS Foundation.
• 2011. Matt Smith awarded a three-year NMFS/Sea Grant graduate fellowship in population dynamics.
• 2011. Amy Then awarded a Ferguson Enterprise Fellowship from the VIMS Foundation.
• 2011. (former student) Lynn Waterhouse awarded a travel grant from the Estuaries Section of the American Fisheries Society to present her research at the annual meeting in Seattle.
• 2010. Amy Then awarded a travel grant from the Estuaries Section of the American Fisheries Society to attend the Society's annual meeting in Pittsburgh.
• 2008. Matt Smith awarded travel grant from the Reves Center for International Studies, College of William and Mary.
• 2008. Lynn Waterhouse awarded a travel grant from the Reves Center for International Studies, College of William and Mary.
• 2008. Lynn Waterhouse awarded a travel grant from the Marine Fisheries Section of the American Fisheries Society to attend the Society's annual meeting in Ottawa.
• 2008. Lynn Waterhouse awarded a grant from the PADI Foundation to support her research in the Turks and Caicos Islands on queen conch.
• 2007. Todd Gedamke awarded the John & Marilyn Zeigler Award.
• 2007. Lynn Waterhouse awarded a VIMS fellowship and the Juliette B. and Carroll W. Owens, Sr. endowment fellowship.
• 2007-2009. Grant received from the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center to provide training in quantitative science to student Matt Smith.
• 2006. Debra Lambert awarded the John & Marilyn Zeigler Award.
• 2004. John Walter awarded a Student Travel Award by the Marine Fisheries Section of the American Fisheries Society to attend the annual meeting in Madison, WI.
• 2004. Thomas Ihde awarded a Student Travel Award by the Marine Fisheries Section of the American Fisheries Society to attend the annual meeting in Madison, WI.
• 2002-2006. Todd Gedamke's graduate studies funded by NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center.
• 2002-2005. Thomas Ihde awarded a NOAA NMFS / Sea Grant Fellowship in Population Dynamics.
• 2002-2005. John Walter awarded a NOAA NMFS / Sea Grant Fellowship in Population Dynamics.
• 2002. Todd Gedamke awarded Honorable Mention - Student Paper at the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. Baltimore MD.
• 2002. Todd Gedamke awarded the Thurlow C. Nelson Award for Best Student Paper at the National Shellfish Association Meeting. Mystic, Connecticut.
• 2002. John Walter received Honorable Mention - Best Paper Award. American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. Baltimore MD.

Recent Awards to Dr. Hoenig

• 2010-2011. Awarded a Visiting Scholar Fellowship at the University of Tasmania.
• 2010. Awarded a research visiting fellowship by Tokyo University of Fisheries and Marine Technology.

Professional Memberships

American Fisheries Society Biometric Society American Statistical Association American Association for the Advancement of Science New England Fishery Management Council, Science and Statistics Committee

Associate Editor, North American Journal of Fisheries Management ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Subcommittee ASMFC Interstate Tagging Committee Bi-State Blue Crab Advisory Committee Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee

Additional Information

Favorite Seafood Recipes