Fish display a plasticity in response to environmental variables in nature and in captive populations such as aquaculture. In a natural setting, the scope for response by fish early life-stages (ELS) provides researchers insights into the resilience and adaptive potential of the organism in response to a changing environment. In an aquacultural context, this same plasticity means that biological optima likely exist for many key environmental variables such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, CO2, salinity, and feeding levels. The plasticity under different environmental drivers may be expressed in many biological response variables including rates of fertilization, development, growth, metabolism, and survival. Understanding, characterizing, and quantifying the relationships between environmental drivers and biological responses are critical to the success or failure of populations in nature, and to viable production in an aquaculture context. In 2023, we will be quantifying responses in a commercially fished species, blackfish or tautog (Tautoga onitis). The successful intern candidate will participate in the Sandy Hook Intern Partnership Program, which provides substantive guidance on a range of topics germane to undergraduates (e.g., applying to / life in graduate school, finding research topics, grants, networking, presentations, and careers in marine science).