Meet Our Researchers Blog Posts

The California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) is a partnership that brings together marine researchers, management agencies, and local fishers.

“Are we gonna catch some fish today?”

“We’re gonna catch some goood fish!”

Jordan Colby and Francine De Castro are Master’s Students in the Toxicology, Physiology, Ecology and Conservation (ToPEC) Lab run by Assistant Professor Christina Pasparakis. They refer to the strong winds and rough weather of Bodega Bay as “Blow-dega Bay.” Leaving at six o’clock in the morning for a two-and-a-half hour mission, Colby and De Castro embark on a trip not only for research with other scientists, but for companionship with local anglers.

With funding from California Sea Grant, the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) provides an insightful volunteering experience with rockfish. The program operates along the California Coast with six institutions ranging from UC San Diego up to the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML).

“Everyone is inherently valuable,” states Dr. Claire McKinley, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Bellevue College, “there has to be room for students coming from different places with different perspectives.” Paired with Dr. Alyssa Griffin, Assistant Professor of Biogeochemistry at UC Davis, the two foster a welcoming environment at the Bodega Marine Laboratory.

When we think of the impacts of climate change, the words global warming, sea-level rise, and extreme weather will often come to mind. But another lesser-known, though equally serious, consequence of our anthropogenic footprint is the global acidification of our oceans.