Featured Scientist

Alaina Conrad, a Scientific Aid in the California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) program holding a lingcod for weight and measurement caught off the coast of San Diego. The CRFS program collects data on angler activities, including fishing recreational sport fishing boats, man-made fishing structures (piers and jetties) and beaches and banks along the California coast. These data are then used to estimate total marine recreational finfish catch and effort in California.


Alaina Conrad, a Scientific Aid in the California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) program prepares to speak to anglers in the San Diego Area about their finfish catch. She and the other sci aids in the CRDF program interview anglers about their day of fishing, including where they fished, depth, targeted species and other information that is used to estimate marine recreational finfish catch in state waters.


Alaina Conrad, a Scientific Aid in the California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) program holds two Salps, a deep water organism, and rarely seen on the surface, that were caught in a fishing line on a sport fishing boat.

Alaina Conrad is a Fish and Wildlife Scientific Aid in CDFW’s Marine Region. Based in San Diego, she works on the California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS). The CRFS is a coordinated sampling survey designed to gather catch and effort data from anglers in all modes of marine recreational finfish fishing. Alaina is one of about 70 CRFS samplers statewide. She collects data on angler activities, including recreational fishing boats, man-made fishing structures (piers and jetties) and beaches and banks along the California coast. These data are used to estimate total marine recreational finfish catch and effort in California.

Alaina earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston. She was based at the university’s satellite campus in the Gulf of Mexico, which focuses on all things related to the ocean – from chemistry and biology to marine literature and maritime business. She has been with CDFW since June of 2017.

What inspired you to pursue a career in marine biology?

I grew up in Monterey and was fortunate to take a marine science class in my sophomore year of high school. My teacher inspired me to learn more about the ocean and what dwells within it. Throughout high school, I volunteered at the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, taking every opportunity to learn more about the aquarium and its animals through job shadows and extra classes in the evenings.

How did your university experiences prepare you for your career?

While attending Texas A&M, I traveled to Alaska and Greece to help graduate students collect data through destination research courses. In Alaska, we collected data on the local sea otter population to monitor its overall health and recovery. In Greece, we researched the local dolphin populations, tracking their movements and determining if the population was a transient or resident pod. We also studied the sustainability of the local fisheries and their farming practices. I also had the opportunity to study in the Marine Mammal Behavioral Ecology Group, identifying individual dolphins throughout consecutive years in various places around the world. The data was being used to determine if the pods were residential or transient and if they were present all year or just at certain seasons.

My last summer in college, I was able to volunteer with the Houston Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy as a nest site steward. Galveston Island is a nesting site for Piping Plovers and Least Terns. Both birds nest on the ground during a high traffic time – summer vacation. As a volunteer, I would educate beachgoers about the birds and how best to avoid disturbing them with friendly reminders to remain outside the roped areas and keeping their dogs on leashes. Species counts were also taken at the beginning of the shifts and nest sites were visited in order to determine the health of the nest and local population.

You just passed your first anniversary working for CDFW’s CRFS program. How does this statewide survey effort benefit the fishery?

CRFS plays a very important role in the sustainability of our local fisheries by collecting fishery-dependent data on California’s marine recreational fisheries and estimating catch and effort. These data provide fisheries managers with the best possible science needed for management decisions.

What is your typical survey day like?

Upon arrival at the sample sites, a starting count of anglers (or trailers) is taken to help determine the effort at or originating from the site. As anglers are leaving, we interview them and ask questions about their fishing trip. We ask questions like what time they began fishing at that location, or – if they were on a boat – we get a launch time in order to determine the length of time of their trip. We also ask where they were fishing and at what depth, in order to collect data on areas that are being fished. A target species is notated as well as all catch whether kept or released. If they have kept fish, we will take weight and length measurements of the fish as well as a total number of each species. Lastly, we will collect a zip code, number of anglers in the group and number of days fished over the past 12 months in order to determine where people are coming from to fish and how much effort they exhibit over a year.

What do anglers think of the surveys?

Most of the time, anglers are receptive to the surveys and understand that it helps to maintain sustainable fisheries. I have had anglers thank me for doing my job many of them are excited to see us out there helping to monitor the health of the fisheries. There are always a few people in a hurry, or who have had a bad day and will refuse to answer questions, in which case I will just move on to the next angler.

What’s the most interesting thing you have seen doing your surveys?

I get to see a variety of interesting things while at work but the most fascinating to me was a colony of Salps that got tangled on an angler’s line while on a sport fishing boat. She pulled up her line and a colony of around 20-30 individuals were wrapped around her line. As the line was pulled out of the water, the colony broke apart, but a few were left stuck to the line. Many of the anglers (deckhands included) thought the “alien” looking creature was a kind of egg sac. They are oblong and clear with a deep orange/red ball in the upper corner. Salps are a deep water organism that don’t get to be seen often, especially not held in the palm of your hand.

What do you like most about working for CDFW?

I enjoy constantly learning about new species and discovering new information about those I am familiar with already! I also enjoy being able to discuss conservation efforts with some of the anglers and hearing their stories from growing up and seeing how much the fisheries have changed.

Is there a particular species or project that you’d like to learn more about?

I have always been fascinated by the intelligence of octopus. I would enjoy getting to study them more closely in the future. I am also very interested in population dynamics of Ornithology and habitat usage and conservation for nesting grounds of threatened species.

You’re still early in your career. What would you like to be doing in 10 years?

In 10 years I hope to be involved in conservation research and public education hopefully involving either cephalopods or marsh birds and habitats.

CDFW photos courtesy of Alaina Conrad

Corinne Gibble is an environmental scientist for CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), working at the department’s Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center (MWVCRC) in Santa Cruz. Corinne studies the health and pathology of marine birds, with the ultimate goal of providing the best care possible to birds that are impacted by oil spills. She also researches and monitors emerging threats to seabird populations. During oil spills, she serves as a first responder, filling a variety of roles within the incident command post.

Corinne earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as a master’s degree in marine science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and a PhD from UC Santa Cruz. Her master’s thesis research investigated the food habits of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) in San Francisco Bay, with a focus on the increasing importance of invasive species in their diet.

While she was pursing her doctorate, she was a NOAA Nancy Foster Scholar in the lab of Raphael Kudela, where she conducted research investigating the movement of the cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa, and associated toxin microcystin from terrestrial to marine environments in Monterey Bay. She examined the uptake and retention of this toxin in shellfish, and developed new methodology to detect the occurrence of this toxin in estuarine birds and seabirds.

Who or what inspired you to become a scientist?

I’ve always had an innate sense of wonder about the natural world. During my childhood in Pennsylvania, my parents emphasized outdoor exploration and nurtured my love of animals and nature at every turn. I also had some amazing science teachers! I owe a lot of gratitude to one high school teacher in particular, Dr. Doug Dahms. He helped me harness and focus that energy and motivated me to go into the field of wildlife biology and ecology.

What got you interested in working with wildlife?

My mother wanted to be a veterinarian, but chose a different career path, so I grew up with a collection of pets. I was around all types of animals from a young age, allowing me to develop compassion, respect and awe for companion animals and wildlife. I’ve always been fascinated by wildlife and the outdoors, and working with wildlife in some capacity was always my goal.

What brought you to CDFW?

When I was working on my MS degree, I was hired to work on a grant-funded seabird health project. This study was funded by the Scientific Study and Evaluation Program (SSEP), which is an OSPR-run research program that provides a mechanism for investigating, evaluating and improving applied OSPR programs, best achievable technologies and our knowledge of the adverse effects of oil spills in the marine environment. That project was housed at the MWVCRC, so I spent four years working with CDFW employees. Since my current job combines my scientific interests and my passion for the care of oiled wildlife, it is a perfect fit for me.

What is a typical day like for you at work?

Some of the most rewarding work I do is serving alongside other OSPR employees and Oiled Wildlife Care Network affiliates during oil spills and other large mortality events to support sick, injured and oiled seabirds. But my typical day varies quite a bit, and my work is multi-faceted. You might find me in the field on a beach survey, in the necropsy laboratory examining birds from die-off events or oiling events, or in my office analyzing data and writing reports and publications. Since I am an employee of CDFW-OSPR, some of my work also revolves around oil spill preparedness and response. I frequently attend drills and trainings pertaining to oil spills and oiled wildlife care.

Scientists involved in environmental and wildlife science contribute to our knowledge base and provide the capacity to improve how we can act as guardians of the natural environment. In general, environmental scientists and natural resource managers are attempting to answer questions that help support healthy ecosystems. Good data and sound scientific design are key to studies that are useable and easy to implement. I truly enjoy producing science that supports the best achievable care for oiled wildlife.

If you had free reign and unlimited funding, what scientific project would you most like to do?

I would like to put more funding into long-term monitoring programs for seabirds. Projects like these are often not funded because they are not especially flashy. However, they are incredibly important for understanding the baseline information for seabird populations. This important data helps scientists gauge what is normal when something like an oil spill or a large mortality event occurs!

Generally, scientists working in ecology are doing all of their work on a shoestring budget, and often the process of designing and carrying proper experiments takes quite a bit of time. Sometimes, a large span of time and a lot of research is needed to find the true answer.

Over the course of your career, was there a discovery or an incident that surprised you?

I feel fortunate my career lends itself to different experiences. Some of these include participating in whale, pinniped, sea turtle and seabird research. Perhaps one of my favorite and surprising discoveries was finding out how much you can learn from harbor seal scat. My MS research explored the diet of harbor seals by examining fish ear bones (otoliths) and other diagnostic bones from fish found in their droppings.

Do you have any advice for people considering careers in science or natural resources?

My advice would be to not focus on one particular species. Be open and interested in the questions and the interconnectedness of many fields in science. If you keep that in mind, you will have many opportunities to study and interact with subjects that you think are interesting! Also, don’t be shy to volunteer! Volunteering and interning gives people considering careers in science necessary field experience and allows them to explore different scientific disciplines.

Photos courtesy of Corinne Gibble