Lab Personnel

Hank Liao

Hank has been the Manager for the Ageing Lab since 2004 (Prior to 2019 at Center for Quantitative Fisheries Ecology at Old Dominion University). He is responsible for managing and analyzing the age information of 14 finfish species collected in Chesapeake Bay and Virginia waters of Atlantic Ocean. He focuses his work on Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC), effectiveness and efficiency at every step of the lab operation and guaranteeing the quality and quantity of age and growth data to be provided, in a timely manner, to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) for stock assessments. In addition, Hank believes that the Lab should not only work with the fisheries professionals but also benefit the public. Therefore, he manages to make the specimen and age data available to the public by working with local charities and developing web-based computer applications. Currently Hank is a member of the ASMFC Black Drum Stock Assessment Subcommittee and the ASMFC Assessment Science Committee.
Hank graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a MS in Zoology and from Iowa State University with Ph.D. in Fisheries Biology. He is interested in verifying ageing methods, enhancing accuracy and precision of age estimates, and identifying and minimizing impacts of ageing error on stock assessments.