Phil Mundy is New Auke Bay Laboratory Director

The AFSC Office of Science and Research announced the appointment of Dr. Phillip Mundy as Director of the Auke Bay Laboratory (ABL), replacing longtime former ABL Director Mike Dahlberg. "Phil has extensive experience and publications in marine science in Alaska and will bring strong science leadership to ABL and the Center management team," said AFSC Deputy Director Jim Coe.

Mundy’s career in fisheries science spans many years. From 2001 to 2005 he served as science director of the Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Monitoring Program (GEM) for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, where he was responsible for implementing long-term marine and freshwater environmental monitoring for the northern Gulf of Alaska in cooperation with state, federal and academic agencies. For 2 years previously he served as GEM science coordinator developing the program. Mundy worked as manager and lead scientist in producing reports on fishery issues in the Columbia River basin, Puget Sound, and Alaska for both the public and private sectors from 1994 to 1999.

From 1987 to 1994 Mundy worked for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, first as a senior research scientist responsible for developing and implementing a fishery research program in support of biological aspect of treaty fishing rights in the Columbia River basin (1987-89) and then as manager of the Commission’s fisheries science department where he was responsible for fisheries research in support of fish stock assessment, harvest management, and Endangered Species Act implementation (1989-94). During 1985-87 he was employed as chief fisheries scientist with the Division of Commercial Fisheries, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, where he was responsible for a statewide program of fisheries research in support of stock assessment and harvest regulation and also served as scientific representative on the Pacific Salmon Commission. At that same time he worked with the University of Alaska as part of an effort to establish the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES).

Mundy’s professional accomplishments and contributions are many, including membership on the PICES technical committee on monitoring (2004), vice chair of the implementation committee of the Coastal Alaska Observing System (2003), membership of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) steering committee (2002), membership on North Pacific Research Board of Directors (2001), membership on the U.S. Global Ocean Observing System (USGOOS) steering committee (2000), and the list goes on. He received his Ph. D. in fisheries from the University of Washington (UW), his M.S. in biology from the University of Alabama, and his B.S. in zoology from the University of Maryland.

Mundy said he was attracted to the Auke Bay position because the laboratory is ideally located geographically and has some of the best long-term data on Alaska’s marine environment in existence. "Auke Bay (Laboratory) has what I call legacy data sets that are important in understanding effects of climate change on natural resources and in developing an ecosystem approach to resource management," said Mundy. He said he would like to see ABL be principally involved in the acquisition and interpretation of long-term data sets that contribute to meeting NOAA’s goals.

Mundy lived in Juneau in the 1980s. He said he likes Juneau’s small-town Alaska atmosphere and excellent boat access and, coming from Anchorage, looks forward to getting back to the water. Throughout the years, Mundy has regularly worked with AFSC scientists and says that the Center is like second home to him. His new position as Director of ABL becomes effective 7 August.

By Susan Calderón and Neal Muirhead


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AFSC Quarterly Research Reports April-June 2005