Dr. Kenneth M. Leber

Position

Senior Scientist and Director, Center for Fisheries Enhancement

Mote Marine Laboratory
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, Florida 34236

E-mail: KLeber@mote.org

Fields of Competence

Fisheries Ecology, Population Ecology, Stock Enhancement, Seagrass Ecology, Ecology of Sandy Beaches, Habitat Selection, Predator-Prey Interactions, Aquatic Food Webs, Plant-Animal Interactions, Experimental Design, Biostatistics, Computer Programming, Oceanographic Methods, Tagging Methods, Marine Aquaculture.

Education

1983
Ph.D. (Marine Ecology)
Department of Biological Science
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

1977
M.S. (Biology)
Biology Department
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

1969
B.S. (Biology)
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Experience

Dr. Leber joined Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) in August 1996 as a Senior Scientist and Director of the Center for Fisheries Enhancement. Dr. Leber was chosen to occupy the Charles M. Breder Chair, which was established at MML to support the study of the biology, behavior, and conservation of fishes. He is directing a multi-disciplinary research center that includes studies of  fish population ecology; fisheries stock enhancement; marine aquaculture; stock assessment; fish dispersal, age and growth patterns; habitat requirements; habitat restoration; and current problems in fisheries management. Most of these studies involve collaborative interactions with researchers from other institutions. Dr. Leber has over 25 years of experience in his fields of expertise. Prior to joining Mote, Dr. Leber was Program Manager of the Stock-Enhancement Program at the Oceanic Institute in Waimanalo, Hawaii. Since 1985, his research has focused on developing marine fish and crustacean aquaculture technology; development and evaluation of responsible hatchery-release technology for replenishing depleted populations of marine organisms; development of a prototype marine stock-enhancement program for the State of Hawaii; and testing and refining coastal stock-enhancement techniques in Florida. 

Dr. Leber is a panel member of the U.S.- Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources' Aquaculture Panel (UJNR); was Chairman of the International Scientific Committee for planning the 2nd International Symposium on Stock Enhancement and Sea Ranching, organized and sponsored by Japan; was a member of the International Scientific Committee for planning the First International Symposium on Stock Enhancement and Sea Ranching for the Norwegian Sea Ranching Program; was first Chairman of the World Aquaculture Society International Working Group on Stock Enhancement; and past president of the American Fisheries Society, Hawaii Chapter.

Publications

    Marine Stock Enhancement

Leber, K. M. 1995. Significance of fish size-at-release on enhancement of striped mullet fisheries in Hawaii. Journal World Aquaculture Society 26(2):143-153.

Leber, K. M., N. P. Brennan, and S. M. Arce. 1995. Marine enhancement with striped mullet: are hatchery releases replenishing or displacing wild stocks? in Uses and effects of cultured fishes in aquatic ecosystems. American Fisheries Society Symposium 15:376-387.

Blankenship, H. L. and K. M. Leber. 1995. A responsible approach to marine stock enhancement. In Uses and effects of cultured fishes in aquatic ecosystems. American Fisheries Society Symposium 15:165-175.

Leber, K. M., S. M. Arce, D. A. Sterritt, and N. P. Brennan. 1996. Marine stock-enhancement potential in nursery habitats of striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, in Hawaii. Fishery Bulletin 94(3):452-471.

Leber, K. M. and S. M. Arce. 1996. Stock enhancement effect in a commercial mullet Mugil cephalus fishery in Hawaii. Fisheries Management and Ecology 3:261-278.

Leber, K. M., H. L. Blankenship, S. M. Arce, and N. P. Brennan. 1997. Influence of release season on size-dependent survival of cultured striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, in a Hawaiian estuary. Fishery Bulletin, 95(2):267-279.

Leber, K. M. and C-S. Lee. 1997. Marine stock-enhancement potential with striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, in Hawaii. Bulletin of National Research Institute for Aquaculture, Suppl.3:117-134.

Leber, K. M., N. P. Brennan and S. M. Arce. 1998. Recruitment patterns of juvenile, cultured Pacific threadfin, Polydactylus sexfilis (Polynemidae), released along sandy marine shores in Hawaii. Bulletin of Marine Science 62(2):389-408.

Leber, K. M. 1999. Rationale for an Experimental Approach to Stock Enhancement. Pages 63-75 in Stock Enhancement and Sea Ranching (Ed. by B.R. Howell, E. Moksness, and T. Svåsand) Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford. 606 pp. 

Tringali, M.D. and K.M. Leber. 1999. Genetic considerations during the experimental and expanded phases of snook stock enhancement. Bull. National Research Institute Aquaculture (Japan) Suppl. 1:109-119.

Blaylock, R. B., Leber, K. M., Lotz, J. M., and D. A. Ziemann.   2000. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico Marine Stock Enhancement Program (USGMSEP): The use of aquaculture technology in “responsible” stock enhancement. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada 100(3):16-22.

Leber, K. M.  2002. Advances in marine stock enhancement: shifting emphasis to theory and accountability. Pp 79-90 In Stickney, R. R. and J. P. McVey (eds) Responsible Marine Aquaculture CABI Publishing, New York. 391 pp.

Nakamura, Y., J.P. McVey, K.M. Leber, C. Neidig, S. Fox & K. Churchill (eds.). 2003. Ecology of Aquaculture Species and Enhancement of Stocks. Proceedings of the Thirtieth U.S.-Japan Meeting on Aquaculture. Sarasota, Florida, 3-4 December, 2001. UJNR Technical Report No. 30 Sarasota, FL: Mote Marine Laboratory.

Bert, T.M., R.H. McMichael, Jr., R.P. Cody, A.B. Fortstchen, W.G. Halstead, K.M. Leber, J. O'Hop, C.L. Neidig, J.M. Ransier, M.D. Tringali, B.L. Winner & F.S. Kennedy. 2003. Evaluating Stock Enhancement Strategies: A Multi-disciplinary Approach. In UJNR Technical Report No. 30.

Leber, K. M., S. Kitada, T. Svåsand and H.L. Blankenship. 2004. Stock Enhancement and Sea Ranching: Developments, Pitfalls and Opportunities. 2nd Edition. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. 562 pp.

Leber, K. M. 2004. Marine Stock Enhancement in the USA: Status, trends and needs. Pp 11-24 In Leber, K.M., S. Kitada, T. Svåsand and H.L. Blankenship (eds) Stock Enhancement and Sea Ranching: Developments, Pitfalls and Opportunities. 2nd Edition. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford. 562 pp.

Brennan, N. P., H. L. Blankenship, K. M. Leber, J. M. Ransier & R. DeBruler, Jr. (In Press) An evaluation of tag performance under field and laboratory conditions in juvenile common snook. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

    Marine Aquaculture

Leber, K. M. and G. D. Pruder. 1988. Using experimental microcosms in shrimp research: the growth-enhancing effect of shrimp pond water. Journal World Aquaculture Society 19(4): 197-203.

Wyban, J. A., G. D. Pruder, K. M. Leber and L. Burzell. 1989. Paddlewheel effects on shrimp growth, production and crop value in commercial earthen ponds. Journal World Aquaculture Society 20(1): 18-23.

Moss, S. M., G. D. Pruder, K. M. Leber and J. A. Wyban. 1992. Shrimp microcosm results: the relative enhancement of Penaeus vannamei growth by selected fractions of shrimp pond water. Aquaculture 101: 229-239

Freeman, D. W., E. O. Duerr, and K. M. Leber. 1992. Use of bagasse as a feed input to semi-intensive shrimp growout ponds. Journal World Aquaculture Society 23: 23-30.

    Marine Ecology

Leber, K. M. 1981. Spatial patterns of Ocypode quadrata: A re-evaluation. (Decapods, Brachyura). Crustaceana 41: 110-112.

Leber, K. M. 1982. Seasonality of macroinvertebrates on a temperate, high wave energy sandy beach. Bulletin of Marine Science 32: 86-98.

Leber, K. M. 1982. Bivalves (Tellinacea: Donacidea) on a North Carolina Beach: Contrasting population size structures and tidal migrations. Marine Ecology Progress Series 7: 297-301.

Leber, K. M. 1985. Influence of decapod foraging and microhabitat complexity on seagrass communities: a field test of the refuge hypothesis. Ecology 66(6): 1951-1964.

Leber, K. M. and H. S. Greening. 1986. Community studies in seagrass meadows: a comparison of two methods for sampling microinvertebrates and fishes. Fishery Bulletin 84(2): 443-450.

Cantillo A. Y., E. Collins, K. M. Leber and S. Stover, Eds. 2004. Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Atlantis, 1934. NOAA/Mote Marine Laboratory/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Publication. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 169. 49 pp.


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Ken Leber
KLeber@mote.org