Donor Profile: Martin Hall (PhD, 1983)
Martin Hall is a long-term and consistent champion for the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS). Martin was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and completed his undergraduate studies in marine biology at the University of Buenos Aires. His interests were mainly in ecology and resource management, which led to a background in statistics and quantitative ecology. After his undergraduate studies, he received a Fulbright Fellowship and earned his PhD at SAFS (then called the School of Fisheries).
At home at the School of Fisheries
“I felt extremely lucky to come across an amazing group of teachers and students,” says Martin. “My advisor was Douglas G. Chapman: He was a mixture of intellectual brilliance, open-mindedness, and wisdom, with a warm, friendly personality. He cared about the School’s students, and we were a priority for him”
Another of Martin’s many lucky encounters was with Professor Gordon Orians in the UW Zoology Department. Orians introduced students to evolutionary ecology, which led to a much better understanding of how populations functioned and how behaviors developed. “My approach to ecology and behavior was changed forever,” said Martin. Professor Ole Mathisen (1919–2007), Professor Emeritus Ken Chew and many other faculty and peers—“too many to list,” Martin said—were also contributors to his exceptional experience at SAFS.
The University’s array of related programs, which included fisheries, marine affairs, and oceanography, led to frequent collaboration between disciplines, increasing exchanges and diversifying educational opportunities. Martin found the plurality of perspectives and approaches to fisheries science and management especially valuable. “I had grown up with a very ‘vertical’ education,” says Martin. “There was only one right way. You listened to your teachers; it wasn’t a dialogue. But at SAFS, it was the opposite of vertical. Teachers, students, and researchers could express different views, co-exist, and collaborate, interacting in a constructive way. Students get the benefit of hearing multiple perspectives.”
For example, Martin wanted to study clams and proposed that, due to the nature of the organism, a forestry model could prove more effective than a fisheries model. Instead of pushing back and limiting his scope of options, Doug Chapman encouraged Martin: “My advisor was competent and intelligent and knew very well the traditional fishery science, but he was also open-minded. I was encouraged to explore new ways to study the populations. He was happy to listen to novel and different approaches, but always supporting them in solid science.”
“I had a personal connection with faculty. I was made to feel at home and welcome.” The School of Fisheries had a wonderful environment, building lasting connections between students and faculty: “Interactions were warm, personal, and supportive.”
A career spent forging solutions
The skills acquired at SAFS helped match critical thinking with an openness to learning and listening from fishers and other stakeholders. In 1984, Martin started working at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and was given the task to reduce dolphin mortality in tuna purse seine fisheries. Suddenly, the rubber hit the road. Martin needed to use quantitative skills, but the “new” subject of bycatch mitigation required him to develop a strong and positive interaction with fishers and their communities. Martin had to acquire social communication skills on the go, and quickly. He and his colleagues used innovative scientific methods to control and reduce dolphin mortality very effectively. Simultaneously, they learned how to interact and develop good relations with conservation and industry stakeholders in an international setting. Above all, Martin learned that scientists should strive to bring an objective position to the discussion table and inform stakeholders.
Under Martin’s leadership, the tuna-dolphin program was a major success, pioneering novel management approaches and providing a model for other bycatch efforts. The attempts to reduce sea turtle mortality in the eastern Pacific artisanal fisheries brought him in contact with the world of the small-scale artisanal fisheries. These fishers lived at the edge of poverty, and the challenge of promoting conservation while trying to make their fisheries more sustainable was, and still is, a major task. Again, the interactions of scientists with fishers and their communities were a critical, basic ingredient. Learning how to bring the knowledge of the fishers to identify solutions to problems was an acquired skill developed through a systematic synthesis of data analysis and fisher engagement to inform practical solutions. Martin and his colleagues learned to ask questions to fishers and to listen to the answers, to understand their limitations, and to involve them in the search for practical, viable solutions that allowed them to continue making a living.
A legacy founded in gratitude
Martin’s positive experiences at the School of Fisheries—and his gratitude for the impactful career his education there made possible—are reflected in his personal support for SAFS.
With regard to his philanthropic contributions, Martin says simply, “Now that I have the opportunity to return some of what I received, I am happy to do that.” Martin knew firsthand about the practical value fellowship support can provide. “If a student has to spend many hours of the week with a part-time job when they could be pursuing their training to benefit not only their future but also the future of their country, community, and environment, then why not help them to do that?”
Martin made significant gifts to the Dayton “Lee” Alverson Endowed Fellowship as well as the Lobo Orensanz Endowed Fund for Student Support, which provide financial support to SAFS students and bear the names of men whose mentorship and friendship were especially meaningful to him. The endowments were established by family, friends, and colleagues to memorialize the outstanding contributions and impact Alverson and Orensanz made as leaders in fisheries.
Martin’s contributions to SAFS extend well beyond charitable giving. He has created a network of over a dozen well-qualified graduate students who have gone on to earn degrees at SAFS, including Ana Parma (PhD 1989) and most recently Maite Pons Barrios (PhD 2018). Like Martin, most came to Seattle from Latin America. Fellow Argentinian Lobo Orensanz (1945–2015), who earned his PhD in 1989, was the first of these referrals. Tby flow as branched out many times, bringing a steady flow of Latin American fisheries students to SAFS, creating a strong bond between the region and the School.
In 2020, Martin generously established the Martin Hall Fellowship for Fishery Innovations in Sustainability, which will support graduate students researching ecological impacts and sustainability of fisheries. The fellowship addresses the intersection of Martin’s career and interests. With this gift, Martin emphasizes how important it is for students to directly engage with fishers and fishing communities to identify innovative approaches to sustainability. He is hopeful that the next generation of fisheries scientists and managers will benefit from similar mentorships, friendships, and professional development opportunities to those that he experienced during his time at the UW.