Diana Stram ‘87: Casting Nets in Science and Service 

Diana Stram ‘87 is a senior scientist at North Pacific Fishery Management Council, where she analyzes scientific data to inform policy-making decisions impacting the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands. A believer in the power of science to impact progress, her work on creating a climate change work plan has included requirements for groundfish and crab, and rebuilding plans for overfished stocks. Before launching her career in marine resource management, she served in the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa. She holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island and is a Fulbright Scholar.

Governor's caught up with Stram for an inside look at her career path to life as a senior scientist in Alaska.

What inspired your path after graduating from The Governor's Academy?
For me, a big turning point came when I was 16 years old. I was attending my sister Donna's '85 GDA graduation with my family, including my brother Rick '83, and the speaker was Paul Tsongas, who was a Massachusetts senator at the time. He spoke about being one of the first volunteers in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, and he emphasized the importance of giving back. His story was so eloquent, and from that moment forward, I never wanted to do anything other than join the Peace Corps. After college, I served for 27 months in a remote village in Niger, West Africa.

What was your Peace Corps service like?
Since the village had recently relocated outside of a newly formed national park, I helped them build tree nurseries and gardens at their new site. I also helped set up their first-ever primary school. We started by holding classes under an open-sided hangar that provides shade from the sun. Eventually, I secured funding for the actual school and worked with them to build it. The school opened the day I left my village, but after my assignment ended, volunteers sent a letter to let me know how successful it had been. It was incorporated into the school district, and a second building was added. Being a part of that process felt amazing—and it still does today. 

Shifting gears to your interest in oceanography, did you always know it would be part of your career?
I grew up sailing in the coastal town of Rye Beach, New Hampshire, and I’ve always been drawn to the ocean. When I was in college, I did a SEA [Sea Education Association] Semester out of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. I spent six weeks on shore learning nautical science and six weeks on a sailboat. After that, I knew I wanted to do oceanography. I also loved the idea of working internationally, and during graduate school at the University of Rhode Island, I researched circulation modeling at an estuary in Ecuador. 

How did you land in the fisheries industry in Anchorage?
A lot of it is fortuitous circumstances. My husband is a ski racing coach, and he was offered a job to run a Junior Olympic program in Alaska. After we moved to Anchorage, I was hired as a consultant to work on an environmental impact statement on the operation of the groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands, a major project for several years with the National Marine Fisheries Service (of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I was then offered a position as a Fishery management plan coordinator with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and I’ve been with them for 23 years. 

...my job is to provide objective data to decision-makers and ensure they have all the options available to them, regardless of what my personal opinions may be.

What does your typical day look like?
My work is very policy-oriented. Our organization provides the council with objective data on the environmental and economic implications of their actions. The council is a political body composed of representatives who have voting rights, and my role is to research and analyze data to provide factual and objective information that informs decision-making processes.

You served as co-chair of the Climate Change Task Force for five years. How does climate change impact fisheries?
The Council has been interested in pursuing climate-resilient fisheries. We are at the forefront of climate change in the North Pacific. One aspect of our work focused on the massive collapse of the snow crab population in the Bering Sea, which is typically a major commercial crab stock. Warming waters and increased predation by Pacific cod were among the factors contributing to the crisis. The snow crab has become somewhat of a poster child for climate change nationwide. The massive decline is still being addressed with conservative harvest limits and limited fishing opportunities. And the policies will need to evolve and change based on different climate indications. 

I genuinely believe in how the U.S. has structured its fishery management program.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
As a professional and as a scientist, I sometimes have opinions. However, my job is to provide objective data to decision-makers and ensure they have all the options available to them, regardless of what my personal opinions may be.

Any advice for aspiring scientists?
When I consider my path, it always goes back to Senator Paul Tsongas’ GDA commencement speech message to look for ways to give back. It was so eye-opening for me. My data analysis work may seem mundane, but if you take a step back and look at the broader impact of the council to inform the way we manage fisheries in the United States—and particularly in the North Pacific—it is really admirable. 

Following graduate school and the years in my current position, the overarching premise of my Fulbright was teaching our U.S. fishery management system to scientists in Chile and as a college course at the University of Concepción. I genuinely believe in how the U.S. has structured its fishery management program, and it's a credit to Senator Ted Stevens and Senator Warren Magnuson for the vision in that respect. We’ve set up a system that is incredible. It’s very public, and it’s extremely responsible. We’re doing it right.

Enjoy a recording of Diana's recent Passion in Practice Zoom event to learn more about her life as a Senior Scientist in Fisheries Management.