THREE BY THE SEA

Meet the Sea Center’s Latest Staff Catches

My job: Helping out wherever I can to keep the Sea Center running as smoothly as possible.

Hobby: Fishing. Some of the highlights of the last few years have been my annual eight-day fall trips out of San Diego. We target a variety of fish, including Yellowfin Tuna, Yellowtail, and Wahoo.

Favorite marine organism: Rockfish. They’re super-diverse, we have a lot of them locally, and I’ve spent a lot of time both catching and studying them.

Hidden talent: Using fishing gear to retrieve binoculars that kids have dropped off the wharf.

Marine mentor: Merit McCrea, because of his contribution to the intersection between fishing and fisheries science. He owned and operated a fishing charter boat for two decades, then went back to school to study aquatic biology. I appreciate his intimate connection to the fishing community while understanding the science, too.

Grateful for: Everyone’s willingness to help out at the Sea Center, especially as I’ve learned my way around.

My job: Empowering our volunteers and naturalists to create positive experiences between guests and the Santa Barbara Channel.

Essential skill: Perspective on how guests engage with us. My experiences as an educator, in other aquariums and the classroom, come into play every day.

Favorite marine organism: The Grunt Sculpin! They’ve evolved to resemble the Giant Acorn Barnacle and live and hide among them. They grunt and are very feisty, which I adore.

Hobby: Hiking and identifying organisms that spark my curiosity. One of the wonderful things about working here is that this kind of ID is an everyday activity out on the Wet Deck.

Marine role model: Rachel Carson, who started out in marine science.

Grateful for: Our sense of community at the Sea Center, which makes it a fun, upbeat place to work—even on our busiest days.

My job: Fostering community among volunteers. Making sure they feel heard, appreciated, and get a valuable experience.

Essential skills: Patience, passion, and motivation. While I have a background in marine biology and put a lot of it to use here, it’s mostly people skills going into this job.

Favorite marine organism: The Harbor Seal. Something about those big eyes and big round body gets me every time!

Favorite part of the job: Extra-curricular activities with volunteers like beach cleanups, tide pooling, and visiting the Channel Islands.

Grateful for: At the Sea Center, we’re all pretty goofy in our own ways and like to have fun.

Biggest wish: That my passion for the environment rubs off on our volunteers who will continue to spread it. Everything I learned about in school, I’m using here, to teach more people about what I love.