When oil spills or pollutants enter the ocean, the visible damage is only part of the story. Dr. Andrew Whitehead studies the genetic ripple effects—how exposure reshapes the biology of fish and other marine life for generations. His federally funded research helps reveal what industrial pollution leaves behind in coastal ecosystems, and why cleanup isn’t the end of the process. It’s science that connects environmental justice, molecular biology, and long-term ecosystem health.
The California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) is a partnership that brings together marine researchers, management agencies, and local fishers.
Environmental toxicologist Christina Pasparakis, who is an assistant professor based at Bodega Marine Laboratory, is the winner of the 2024 UC Davis Award for Innovation and Creative Vision.
The prize is funded by Susie and alum Riley Bechtel and supports outstanding non-tenured early career faculty. It comes with a $40,000 research award that Pasparakis plans to use to launch a long-term community-based microplastic monitoring program in the Bodega Marine Reserve.
The effects of endocrine disruptors on the reproductive biology of resident fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been studied at BML. Endocrine disruption in the inland silverside (Menidia spp.) has been the focus for a number or years since populations of native fish are so low and several are listed as endangered, Menidia is an ideal indicator species as they have a limited home range, are found across broad salinity gradients, and are reproductive for about 4-6 months.
The Toxicology Laboratory has been participating in a multidisciplinary center award (5 years and just renewed for another 5 years) from the NSF and the EPA that established the University of California Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanomaterials (UC CEIN), based at UCLA and UCSB. This center award has a number of multidisciplinary “themes” that range from chemical engineering to public perception of nanotechnology.
