seminar

Brendan Tougher, Director of the Ocean Program, Anthropocene Institute 

ProtectedSeas Marine Monitor (M2): Conservation Technology for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Abstract:  Over the last 10-years the Marine Monitor (M2) system was developed at the Estuary and
Ocean Science (EOS) Center by a small team of engineers and developers at ProtectedSeas along with the help of EOS graduate students. The M2 system integrates X-band marine radar, automatic identification system (AIS) sensors, and optical cameras with custom software to autonomously track and record all vessel activity in nearshore coastal environments. M2 is used for a variety of applications by government agencies, law enforcement personnel, researchers, and NGOs to better inform decision making related to human use in and around marine managed areas. Brendan Tougher, co-founder of M2, will provide an overview of the M2 system platform and how EOS's strategic location along the San Francisco Bay has enabled M2 to develop and iterate its software and hardware design to build a robust and reliable conservation technology that has a global impact protecting and enforcing marine managed areas.

Bio: Brendan Tougher is the Director of the Ocean Program at the Anthropocene Institute where he oversees ocean related initiatives, specifically the Future of Fish Feed, ProtectedSeas Navigator, Marine Monitor (M2), LLC and ocean related grant giving through Anthroocean and has over 15-years of experience working at the intersection of science, technology, environmental conservation, and business. He is also the co-founder for M2, a small conservation technology company based in California specializing in shore-based monitoring technologies for management of nearshore marine managed areas.

Sarah Mesnick, PhD, Ecologist and Science Liaison, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  and Adjunct Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego 

The challenges of saving Mexico’s vaquita porpoise   

Abstract: The Upper Gulf of California is a diverse and highly productive ecosystem supporting some of the most important fisheries in Mexico, yet a history of weak fisheries management and illegal fishing threaten the area’s biodiversity and undermine human well-being in the communities along its shores. The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is endemic to these waters and is on the brink of extinction due to incidental entanglement in gillnets used in small-scale fisheries. Although gillnets are banned by the government of Mexico in the vaquita’s range, their use is driven by valuable shrimp and finfish fisheries, and a lucrative black market for swim bladders of totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi). There is long-standing lack of support for development and implementation of alternative fishing gear and livelihoods. A recent effort to deploy anti-gillnet devices (concrete blocks with hooks designed to entangle gillnets) has bought crucial time. The complexity of the economic, social, technical, and policy issues in the region requires a holistic, multidisciplinary approach in order to find regionally relevant solutions for saving the vaquita and supporting local fishing communities. The presentation will review the biology and plight of the vaquita, present abundance estimates from the latest field efforts, and summarize conservation actions with a focus on efforts to develop alternative fisheries with the local fishing communities. Sustained actions to support legal fishers able to make a good living – with a direct stake in healthy marine ecosystems – are key components of conservation policy. The situation in the Upper Gulf of California is dire, yet similar threats to other endangered species and the well-being of coastal communities may benefit from the experience of the vaquita. Recent observations of the few remaining healthy vaquitas and calves provide hope and heighten the imperative to act.   

Bio: Sarah Mesnick is an ecologist and communication strategist at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, CA. Her work integrates behavioral ecology, conservation science, and human dimensions to advance the protection and management of marine mammals, with a particular focus on mitigating fishery interactions and improving conservation outcomes. Her behavioral work spans a diversity of species (eastern tropical Pacific dolphins, beaked whales, sperm whales and blue whales), addressing a range of topics including social and population structure, conservation behavior, sexual selection and speciation and the use of behavioral traits to define units-to-conserve. In recent years, her research has increasingly centered on human dimensions of conservation, particularly in relation to the vaquita porpoise - the world’s most endangered marine mammal. She collaborates with scientists, government agencies, conservation organizations, fishing cooperatives and the seafood supply chain to advance multi-disciplinary, multilateral approaches that address illegal fishing while supporting local communities. Sarah serves on the international recovery team for vaquita (CIRVA), the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) Expert Panel on Bycatch Mitigation, and the United Nations Environmental Program Convention on Migratory Species’ (CMS) Expert Working Group on Culture and Social Complexity. She is an adjunct professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and founding member of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, where she leads the joint Sustainable Seafood Initiative. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, received her bachelor’s from UC Santa Cruz and her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona.  

Jeff Dorman, Executive Director, Farallon Institute 

Estimating zooplankton from autonomous underwater gliders in the California Current

Abstract: Satellites, buoys, and autonomous vehicles have vastly improved our collection of physical oceanographic data (temperature, salinity, oxygen, currents, etc.), but beyond phytoplankton measurements, there have been limited applications in biological oceanography.  As such there are few zooplankton indices that readily available and utilized in management on the US West Coast.  This work utilizes 20 years of acoustic data, collected as part of the California Underwater Glider Network, combined with net collected zooplankton from the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, to develop an automated zooplankton index for the Southern California Bight.  Results show correlation between the ADCP backscatter with total zooplankton biomass, and particularly with copepod abundance measures.  Given the ubiquitous nature of copepods in the ocean, these results have the potential to be exported to other gliders equipped with ADCP’s beyond the Southern California Bight.

Bio:  Jeff Dorman is a Scientist and Executive Director of Farallon Institute, a non-profit marine research and education organization that conducts oceanographic research to support healthy and sustainable ocean ecosystems and fisheries.  Jeff has been conducting research on zooplankton in the California Current for 25 years, particularly what drives variability in important prey species. Jeff believes in utilizing the best possible science in management of ocean resources and in that light serves on the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

Melanie Prentice, Research Scientist, Hakai Institute 

The causative agent of sea star wasting disease

Abstract: Beginning in 2013, sea star wasting disease (SSWD) swept the Pacific Coast of North America, devastating sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) populations from Mexico to Alaska by more than 90%. The rapid disappearance of P. helianthoides further contributed to a trophic cascade involving unchecked population growth of their sea urchin prey which then overgrazed kelp forests, contributing to the decline of this critical ecosystem along the coast. Key to the recovery of P. helianthoides and the kelp forest ecosystems reliant on them, is the identification of the pathogen responsible for causing SSWD. In this talk we present data leveraged from controlled challenge experiments and natural field outbreaks of SSWD to identify Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 as a causative agent of this disease in P. helianthoides. 

Bio: Melanie Prentice (she/her) is a Research Scientist at the Hakai Institute. Her research experience spans diverse species, ecosystems and questions, coalescing on the use of genetic and genomic tools to provide scientific guidance for the management of species and ecosystems at risk. Her most recent work employs controlled challenge experiments and genomic datasets to improve our understanding of wildlife epidemiology. Proficient in bioinformatics, Microsoft Excel is her mortal enemy.  

Albert Ruhí, Associate Professor, Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Miller Professor, Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, University of California, Berkeley

Dynamics of estuarine food webs under climate change and habitat restoration: Insights from the San Francisco Estuary

Abstract: The San Francisco Estuary is a valuable “field laboratory” for studying how aquatic food webs respond to stressors. Drawing on recent work from my group, I will show how biological diversity, phenological synchrony, and energy-pathway recovery influence estuarine ecosystem resilience. Time-series analysis on long-term biomonitoring data reveals that diverse fish life histories and spatial heterogeneity provide portfolio effects that buffer fish recruitment from climatic fluctuations. Yet, phenological shifts in zooplankton and fishes are increasingly asynchronous, signaling growing potential for trophic mismatches under warming and salinity change. At finer scales, stable-isotope analyses across a chronosequence of restored marshes indicate that hydrologic reconnection alone does not immediately rebuild trophic structure: algal pathways recover quickly, but detrital pathways lag. Together, these studies highlight the importance of integrating biocomplexity, timing, and energy-flow metrics into monitoring and restoration, to sustain food-web functioning in a rapidly changing estuary.

Bio: Albert Ruhí is an aquatic ecologist and Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His group’s research combines large-scale data analysis and field experiments to understand how hydrologic regimes shape river and wetland food webs. Much of his work focuses on water-scarce regions, including the Mediterranean Basin and the American Southwest, and has recently led several research projects on Bay-Delta food-web dynamics and fisheries. Previously, he held positions at Arizona State University and at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. Dr. Ruhí has published over 80 papers, and received honors including the NSF CAREER, the California Sea Grant New Faculty Award, and the Miller Professorship.

The Barbara and Richard Rosenberg Institute for Marine Biology & Environmental Science and WiSE (Women in Science & Engineering) present our seminar and student lunch (see below)

Drew Harvell, Adjunct Faculty, Stanford (Hopkins Researcher); Professor Emerita, Cornell University/Stanford University   

The Ocean’s Menagerie Heating up with Climate Change 

Abstract: Climate warming heats up the web of biological interactions and accelerates community change from the base and top of oceanic food chains. Warming oceans have fueled the decade long epidemic of sea star wasting disease, causing a top-down trophic cascade and massive changes to near-shore kelps from California to British Columbia. Our recent work unveils Vibrio pectenicida as a causative agent of sea star wasting disease and the decline of the sunflower star to endangerment.  Our 12 year study of eelgrass-protist dynamics also shows a role for warming events in large decline of seagrasses. Continental scale surveys reveal that the protist L. zosterae is a damaging pathogen, characterized by diverse strains varying in virulence and likely temperature sensitivity, from San Diego to Alaska. New work highlights multiple modes of disease transmission from waterborne to herbivore- facilitated.

Bio: Drew Harvell is Professor Emerita of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University and former Science Envoy for Ocean Conservation (US State Dept). Her research on the health and sustainability of marine ecosystems has taken her from the coral reefs of Mexico, Indonesia, Palau, Australia and Hawaii to the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest. Her current research, based at Friday Harbor Laboratories focuses on continental scale impact of ocean epidemics. She is a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and the American Association for Advancement of Science. Her award-winning books include: A Sea of Glass (2016), Ocean Outbreak (2019) and The Ocean’s Menagerie (2025). 

Mark Lubell, Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, UC Davis  

The Quest for Cooperation in Regional Sea Level Rise Adaptation

Abstract: Sea-level rise adaptation in San Francisco Bay requires cooperation among policy actors at multiple scales. This talk will investigate the major barriers to sea-level rise adaptation and current steps being taken to address those barriers.  There is a central focus on governance issues from the perspective of polycentric structures and collaboration networks.   

Bio: Mark Lubell is a political scientist who studies cooperation in the context of environmental governance. He focuses especially on the evolution of polycentric institutions and policy networks.  He has been working on climate adaptation in SF Bay for over a decade, but also studies other environmental topics such as agricultural decision-making, water management, and science governance. 

Karen Thorne, PhD, USGS Western Ecological Research Center 

The use of Nature-based Solutions to restore and protect tidal wetland ecosystems in California 

Abstract: Climate change impacts to California’s iconic coastline include higher sea levels, changes in storm frequency and intensity, warmer air and ocean temperatures, and changes in precipitation patterns. The rates of change over the next century are expected to be significantly higher than what has been observed in the past.  Sea-level rise threatens to flood or displace tidal wetlands making them a management and conservation concern, especially given the number of endemic and rare species that live there. Tidal wetlands are uniquely adapted to respond to stressful environments and changes in flooding. Because of their ability to adapt to sea-level rise they have become the focus for restoration efforts and other nature-based solutions. Studies on tidal wetland vulnerability from sea-level rise along with approaches for climate adaptation to protect these ecosystems will be presented.  

Bio: Dr. Karen Thorne is a Research Ecologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center in Davis, CA. She has worked in California estuaries for over 20 years. Her research focus is on climate change impacts to coastal ecosystems. In particular, her work has included assessing sea-level rise and storm impacts to coastal ecosystems, wetland ecology, restoration, and blue carbon. She conducts field research to inform climate adaptation and planning to help managers mitigate impacts and conduct restoration. She received her Ph.D. and MS from the University of California, Davis. 

Pádraig Duignan, Director of Pathology-Chief Scientist, The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC), Sausalito, CA

Climate Change and Disease Ecology: How are California’s Marine Mammals Faring 25 Years into the 21^st Century

Abstract: TMMC was established 50 years ago as a rehabilitation hospital for locally stranded marine mammals but over the past 30 years, our research has focused on the changing patterns of disease and the emergence of novel pathogens and threats. This temporal window coincides with the period of greatest global warming experienced by our planet since the start of the Anthropocene. Over this interval we have documented significant changes in the ecology of established endemic diseases such as leptospirosis in California sea lions linked to unprecedented thermal anomalies in the North Pacific; witnessed the emergence of Harmful Algal Blooms and the more subtle and insidious rise in fungal and protozoal diseases along our coast. The environmental perturbations affecting the temporal and spatial occurrence of these events and their severity are also altering the distribution of prey species, invertebrates and fish, not only impacting health through nutritional state but also be changing migration routes and patterns of aggregation that directly affect routes and rates of disease transmission. 

Bio: Pádraig graduated with an honors B.Sc. in zoology, M.Sc. in biochemistry and a DVM from University College Dublin. He compelted a pathology residency and a Ph.D. in marine mammal pathology from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. After a further one-year pathology residencey at UC Davis, he accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Massey University, New Zealand, focused on cetacean pathology and a year later, this became a faculty position during which he established the NZ Wildlife Health Center and was the first director until 2006. During this period his research was mainly focused on the endangered NZ sea lion in the Auckland Islands, and endangered Hector’s and Maui dolphins around the North and South Islands. After  NZ, he held faculty positions at the University of Melbourne, Australia, continuing health research on Australian fur seals and bottlenose dolphins as well as terrestrial wildlife, and at the University of Calgary, Alberta, as a teaching academic and pathologist for the Canadian Wildife Health Cooperative. In Canada, he continued involvement with research on NZ and Australian marine mammals and initiated a new project on narwhals in the Canadian high Arctic. He has held his current position at TMMC for almost 10 years. Some of his publications may be found here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=whjdsDwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate or through the TMMC home page: https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/citation-list 

Diamela De Veer, Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Ocean Travelers: the role of plastic debris on non-native species dispersal

Abstract: Anthropogenic marine debris (AMD), particularly plastic, has accumulated in the ocean at unprecedented levels. Once at sea, AMD is rapidly colonized by marine organisms, facilitating their dispersal and potentially expanding their distribution ranges. The Ocean Travelers II (OT II) research network—a collaboration of scientists across 19 countries in the Americas and Northeastern Europe—investigates the extent of this colonization and identifies the species using AMD as a vector for dispersal in coastal ecosystems. OT II has identified key spatial and temporal patterns in colonized AMD. Using barnacles as a model organism, the project has successfully classified common, non-indigenous, and invasive species in their discovered locations. These findings demonstrate the critical role of international collaboration in enabling the long-term monitoring of invasive species spread via AMD pollution.

Bio: Diamela De Veer is a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian Environmental ResearchCenter's (SERC) Marine Invasions Laboratory. With over seven years of experience, she specializes in using participatory science to track the sources, distribution, and ecological impacts of anthropogenic marine debris throughout the Americas. She recently coordinated the international research network Ocean Travelers II, investigating how marine organisms disperse across oceans on floating debris.