January 2005 newsletter

Hello All; welcome to the first issue of my new personal newsletter. I'm writing this as a way to share my endeavors with the personal and professional communities that I am involved in. As these endeavors get more involved and demanding I’ve realized that I don’t have time to keep everyone updated despite my best efforts and yet most of you are not looking to read a scientific publication either. I am very excited about my work and believe that it is educational for consumers and scientists alike. I hope that you all find it as interesting as I do and look forward to hearing your comments. Thanks for your support

–Chris

Effects of sea bass aquaculture

Farmed fish, especially farmed salmon have assumed an infamous role in the media and among many environmentalist groups. In order to better understand the questions of both sides, I investigated the controversies revolving around farmed salmon for my undergraduate Senior Thesis. The results of an in depth review of current literature led me to the conclusion that plagues all scientists: we need more data. Subsequently, I decided to pursue a graduate degree in order to investigate environmental effects caused by mariculture of the white sea bass, Atractoscion nobilis, in southern California.

Healthy kelp forests provide a 3D substrate for fishes

My graduate thesis has built upon the natural history work of Southern California Marine Institute, the Department of Fish and Game's Ocean Enhancement Project, and the Vantuna Research Group at Occidental College. After spending four years observing and sampling near-shore fish assemblages in California south of Point Conception, I have developed a thesis project investigating the effects of a sea bass net-pen on its surrounding marine communities. The project is currently being sponsored by the Padi AWARE Foundation, and the Vantuna Research Group at Occidental College. Data collection is underway to be finished December 2005.

OREPs net-pen may be having acting as a Fish Attracting Device (FAD) Dylan Simonson collecting sediment using a 1 liter core for analysis

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China and beyond

Spending a summer studying Mandarin in the muggy city of Beijing, proved to be a remarkable and enlightening experience for a recent graduate. Rather than going on the traditional European trip, this westerner chose to live, travel and learn in another great land. The purpose of the trip was to learn not only how difficult the language can be, but to interact with the oriental culture. I quickly learned the importance of Guanxi (connection), peng you (friend), and lao shi (teacher), when interacting with Chinese.

While in China, I engaged in a comparative study of market demands for farmed and wild-caught high-value seafood. Species included abalone (Haliotis sp.) , groupers (Epinephelus sp.) , and sea cucumbers (Holothuria sp.). To investigate the supply and demand, I gathered data in five cities around China from wholesale fish markets, a variety of fish farms, and processing plants. Additionally, I was fortunate to interview China Fishery professors and the President of the Shanghai Fisheries University. The current data demonstrate the ever-increasing demand for fish in China, and the role that aquaculture will play in fulfilling that need.

A return trip to Qingdao for Seafare's Aquaculture China 2004 convention this past November augmented the China-seafood experience. While working as a consultant for the Seafare Group, I was able to meet dozens of international seafood and related product vendors, traders and industry partners and participants. This proved to be a perfect culmination of the China 2004 experience. Currently, I am researching cash flow and investment opportunities in China, of course with a focus on seafood!

For more information see: