Robert B. Ditton

Dr. Ditton was the first to specialize in outdoor recreation research in coastal and marine settings. He now focuses on the human dimensions of fisheries. He was a Sea Grant researcher for 20 years, and developed a graduate program in marine recreation resources management in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M. Along with numerous research articles and reports, he co-authored the book, Coastal Resources Management. He served five years as Editor of Leisure Sciences and, also, as Associate Editor of Leisure Sciences, the Journal of Leisure Research, and Coastal Zone Management. Dr. Ditton has served on federal advisory committees on marine fisheries, outer continental shelf policy, national coastal resources, and artificial reefs. He has completed assignments with the U.S. Minerals Management Service and was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Offshore Platform Removal. Awards he has received include the Brightbill Award and Sapora Research Award from the University of Illinois, NRPA's National Research (Roosevelt) Award, and SUNY Cortland's Metcalf Lecture and Distinguished Alumnus Award.