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| Hello there! Welcome to my cove! |
I've always been interested in marine
biology, every since I was a kid. What area I wanted to study changed
several times from childhood to college. It went from marine mammals,
to the rocky intertidal zone, to invertebrate zoology, to fisheries
biology. The nice thing about the undergraduate stage of college is
that you can go in with the first general idea of what you want to
do, and then find the second, slightly smaller general idea of what
you want to do. Six years of undergrad at Sonoma State University
gave me fisheries biology as my main umbrella. I've always loved
fishing, and college gave me a healthy appreciation for the kind of
science that goes in to understanding the care and management of our
this important resource. My undergraduate research units focused on
the physiological aspect of marine biology, particularly in regards
to marine invertebrates.
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| This is an abalone, my favorite marine invertebrate. It's basically a giant sea snail. |
After graduating I spent a year
volunteering as an assistant/intern under a team of Fish and Wildlife
scientists at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. This experience
did me a triple service. It gave me a clearer view of the path I
wanted to take as a marine scientist, showing me that yes, I did want
to go to grad school and get a higher degree (not just because
getting a good job in marine biology with only a bachelor's degree is
not an easy task). It showed me the specific, micro area of study I
wanted to focus on should I conduct my own independent research. I
therefore plan to study the physiological effects of long term
starvation on marine invertebrates when I do get to grad school.
The third service my volunteer work
performed was to, ultimately, open my eyes to the current state of my
county's and a nearer county's coastal ecosystems. I went in hoping
to learn about invertebrate fisheries biology and management. What I
found, in addition, was a distressing reality reflecting the impact
of climate change on the kelp forests of Sonoma and Mendocino
Counties. These changes have impacted the kelp forest ecosystems
throughout the food web, and are even impacting us. But I never would
have known this if I had not taken the opportunity to learn about it.
And I realized that very few people are likely to learn about it.
This plight on our kelp forests isn't exactly widely advertised, and
the people who hear about it third hand tend to take it with either a
grain of salt, or take it with outright antagonism. I learned about
the plight, and it's driven me to do more. It's influence what area
of marine science I want to focus on, what kind of career I want to
have. I want to help in every way I can. But I've also realized that
what I can do as a scientist, alone, isn't enough. This is a big
problem that effects a wide pool, so to speak. There's only so much
one—or even a dozen—scientists can do. More people need to know
about it; more people need to care, if change is going to happen.
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| This is a comparison of kelp forest coverage over four important Northern Californian abalone fishery sites between 2008 and 2014. The cause was climate change, and the effects of this change are still being felt today. Source: https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/ |
So, I've decided that in addition to
my path towards becoming a career marine biologist, I also want to
bring these issues more forward into the public eye. I want to raise
awareness. I want to educate people. I want to inspire people to get
involved. I want to give people the information needed to awaken that
potential interest in preserving our marine resources. Eventually, I
want to raise money to give to those organizations working to help
fix this problem. But I can't do this alone. So, I'm turning to you,
other people, to help me in this endeavor. Whether you are already
scientifically inclined or not, I'd like your help. For those of you
who don't know what I'm talking about, you are the first step. I want
to teach you about marine science.
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| This abalone is looking for food in an unusual place, since there isn't enough to go around. Source:https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/ |
My hope is if people are able to learn
about these things in a more digestible manner, they'll want to get
involved. Seeing these animals and natural features will make people
want to keep them around, even if it's just for resource use. If I
can interest you, maybe you'll listen to me. Maybe you'll take these
problems seriously. Maybe you'll want to help. That's what this blog,
and other subsequent social media platforms (because I plan on making
a lot), are for. This is just an introduction, step one of a much
larger plan. My goal is to eventually build enough of a following to
warrant a charity KickStarter by next year. It might be a long shot,
but I think it's possible. I think we can do it.
If you're interested in learning some
marine science and California's kelp forest ecosystems, please follow
this blog and keep an eye out for more social media platforms. I'll
start lessons with next week's post, starting with what specifically is happening to our kelp forests. If you're curious, tune in to find out!
Stay curious.
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| "Sea" you next week! |
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