Ph.D. Research :

For more than two decades I have witnessed the occurrence of overfishing as a common problem in the binational Southern California Bight (SCB) region, adding uncertainty to the long term fisheries sustainability and ecosystem integrity. In this context of fisheries management failures and ecosystem uncertainties, my research interest is focused on the analysis of diverse scenarios for the establishment of a transnational network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as a rational Ecosystem-Based Management option to help achieve long term conservation and fisheries sustainability goals for the SCB system. The main purpose of my dissertation project is to generate the scientific ecological knowledge required for a precautionary network design of Marine Protected Areas in the Mexican mainland coasts of the SCB.