Blue Rockfish

Will White

Latin name: Sebastes mystinus

There has been serious concern about the sustainability of fisheries for blue rockfish and other species in California. Dr. Will White used computer simulations of fish population dynamics along the California coast to predict how different configurations of marine protected areas (MPAs) would affect fish abundance. His results informed MPA design across California. More recently, White's models have shown that it may take up to 20 years for rockfish populations to noticeably increase inside MPAs.

Publications:

White JW, Botsford LW, Hastings A, Baskett ML, Kaplan DM, Barnett LAK (2013) Transient responses of fished populations to marine reserve establishment. Conservation Letters 6: 180-191

White JW, Scholz AJ, Rassweiler A, Steinback C, Botsford LW, Kruse S, Costello C, Mitarai S, Siegel D, Drake PT, Edwards CA(2013) A comparison of approaches used for economic analysis in marine protected area network planning in California. Ocean and Coastal Management 73: 77-89