David Ainley is an ecologist with H.T. Harvey & Associates Ecological Consultants, at which he works on marine issues, mostly conducting research on the role of seabirds in marine ecosystems. Currently he’s working on endangered seabirds in Hawaii, penguins in Antarctica and to a lesser degree these days on seabirds and their foraging in the California Current. He initiated the seabird/marine mammal program that is carried out on the Farallon Islands and managed the program for about 20 years as part of Point Reyes Bird Observatory (now Point Blue Conservation Science). He was a major force in the recent designation of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (see the award-winning film, The Last Ocean). He’s authored/co-authored 4 books, and about 250 peer-reviewed journal articles on marine birds, mammals and fish, but, too, does spend time surf casting along the central California coast, hiking and playing soccer.
It wasn’t until the federal government took away several of my favorite fisheries, and access to my favorite spots, that I fully comprehended what I had previously taken for granted … The ocean is, or was once, a public trust … Read more
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