News

SJSU/MLML alumna Nancy Black establishes non-profit California Killer Whale Project

Lauren Cooley

The California Killer Whale Project (CKWP) is a new non-profit dedicated to the study of killer whales (Orcinus orca) along the California coast. While the organization was officially established in December 2019, their research has been going on for decades and their database of killer whale sightings spans the past 66 years. The mission of CKWP is to continue the long-term study of the ecology, natural history, and conservation of California's killer whales. CKWP CEO and co-founder Nancy Black received her MS in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in 1995 and has spent the last three decades studying the killer whales of Monterey Bay. 

Learn more about the California Killer Whale Project and how you can contribute to their important research at their website.

Moss Landing Marine Labs featured in the New York Times

Lauren Cooley

SJSU/MLML research faculty member and ghost shark expert Dr. David Ebert is featured in a new article from the New York Times about the race to study these mysterious deep-sea fishes before they disappear forever.

Nearly half of the ghost shark species known to science were discovered only during the past two decades. “We’re just now starting to figure out that there are a lot more of these things around than we realized previously,” said Dr. Ebert, whose lab, the Pacific Shark Research Center, has been credited with the discovery of over 20% of the known ghost shark species.

Read the NYT story by Annie Roth here.

New study from SJSU/MLML and NOAA Fisheries scientists finds major decline in West Coast leatherback turtle population

Lauren Cooley

Enormous Pacific leatherback sea turtles are so ancient they lived with the dinosaurs. Now a new study from SJSU/MLML and NOAA Fisheries researchers shows that leatherbacks that forage off the U.S. West Coast are trending towards extinction in as little as a few decades. The study was led by NOAA Fisheries scientist and MLML research affiliate Scott Benson and co-authored by MLML researchers Dr. Karin Forney and Dr. Jim Harvey.

Biologists estimated an annual average of about 128 leatherback turtles foraging off Central California from 1990 to 2003. That number dropped to an average of about 55 per year from 2004 to 2017. “In short order these animals are going to be gone if things don’t turn around,” said SJSU/MLML director and study co-author Jim Harvey. “You can’t just protect them in one location. You have to protect them across half the globe.”

Learn more about this important research in the NOAA Fisheries news article. Read the original peer-reviewed article in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation here.

Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries/Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Research faculty member Dr. David Ebert publishes new shark field guide with Princeton University Press

Lauren Cooley

Congratulations to SJSU/MLML research faculty member Dr. David Ebert of the Pacific Shark Research Center on the publication of his latest book, titled “Field Guide to Sharks, Rays & Chimaeras of Europe and the Mediterranean”.

The book was published this week by Princeton University Press and features comprehensive descriptions and illustrations of all 146 species of sharks, rays, and chimaeras found in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Learn more and purchase the book here.

SJSU/MLML aquaculture research highlighted in new CSU article

Lauren Cooley

In the next 30 years, global seafood demand is expected to grow 30 percent; aquaculture is expected to meet nearly all of this increased global demand. Researchers and students at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories are on the forefront of the growing sustainable aquaculture movement in the US.

A recent article from California State University highlights some of our ongoing aquaculture research projects including Olympia oyster restoration and the use of seaweed to reduce methane emissions from cows. Check out the article here to learn more about SJSU/MLML aquaculture research.

SJSU awards Dr. Anthony Fauci with William Randolph Hearst Award

Lauren Cooley

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, SJSU College of Science, is proud to join San José State University in honoring Dr. Anthony Fauci with the William Randolph Hearst Award for excellence in mass communications. SJSU and the School of Journalism and Mass Communications presented the award to Dr. Fauci on Tuesday, November 17th in a virtual ceremony attended by more than 2,500 SJSU students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Public opinion surveys nationwide have consistently reported Dr. Anthony Fauci is one of the voices most Americans trust and seek out for timely information during the pandemic. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the annual William Randolph Hearst Award to be held virtually, it was fitting that Dr. Fauci was honored with the award for excellence in mass communication.

Learn more about Dr. Fauci and the William Randolph Hearst Award here.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta meets with MLML and SJSU leadership

Lauren Cooley

California Congressman Jimmy Panetta visited Moss Landing Marine Laboratories on October 24, 2020 to meet with representatives from San José State University and MLML. He joined SJSU College of Science Dean Michael Kaufman, SJSU Provost Vincent Del Casino, MLML Director Jim Harvey, and California Assemblymember Mark Stone for an important conversation about the future of coastal research and conservation in Central California.

Check out Congressman Panetta's Facebook post about his recent visit to MLML here.

Research faculty member Dr. Colleen Durkin receives Maxwell/Hanrahan Field Biology Award

Lauren Cooley

We are thrilled to announce that SJSU/MLML research faculty member Dr. Colleen Durkin was awarded the Maxwell/Hanrahan Individual Award in Field Biology.

This prestigious award given by the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation provides $100,000 in unrestricted funds to support individual scientists, elevate their diverse perspectives, and enable them to commit time to observation and experimentation. Dr. Durkin will use the funds to advance her biological oceanography research program focused on the role sinking particles play in carbon export to the deep ocean. Congratulations, Colleen!

Learn more about the Maxwell/Hanrahan Field Biology Award and Dr. Durkin’s work here.

Graduate student Bonnie Basnett featured on Fisherwomen podcast

Lauren Cooley

Graduate student Bonnie Basnett was recently interviewed on the Fisherwomen podcast. Bonnie’s research through the SJSU/MLML Fisheries & Conservation Biology Lab examines diet variation in the lingcod, a large benthic fish species native to the West Coast. In the podcast interview with host Katie Osborn, Bonnie discusses collaborating with sportfishing guides, fieldwork logistics, and why lingcod are such fascinating animals to study.

Listen to the podcast episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.