Erik Boman, Ph.D student (Sweden)
Area of interest
The main interests of Erik Boman are in fisheries biology and fisheries management. With a particular interest in the aspects of the biology and ecology of Queen conch (Lobatus gigas), which can improve the management of the species in the wider Caribbean region.
Relevant research
Before the start of his PhD in July 2014, Erik Boman worked at the St Eustatius fisheries department as the data monitoring officer, collecting and analysing fisheries related data. His PhD “Population dynamics and trophic role of the Queen Conch (Lobatus gigas) in the Dutch Caribbean Territories” is part of the TrippleP@Sea project. His PhD project aims to improve our understanding of the ecology and life history of the Queen conch to such an extent that guidelines for a sustainable conch fishery can be outlined. Current research involves, but is not limited to, the development of new survey tools to survey Queen conch throughout the species entire depth range, provide new insight to the reproductive biology of Queen conch and investigate the effect of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea on different aspects of juvenile Queen conch biology (e.g. survival, diet, growth).