Eric Bjorkstedt

Eric Bjorkstedt (H.B.A., biology and English; Ph.D., ecology) is a fisheries oceanographer and ecologist with over 30 years of experience conducting research and developing scientific analysis and advice in support of resource management, conservation planning, and ecosystem assessment in riverine, estuarine, and marine systems.

His work ranges from long-term oceanographic surveys off the North Coast focused on plankton dynamics (including harmful algal blooms), experimental studies of how environmental factors affect krill and juvenile fish, and modeling studies of fish recruitment and life history evolution.

He has contributed substantively to collaborative efforts establishing scientific principles and products that underpin recovery planning for salmon and steelhead, the design of marine protected area networks along the California coast, and ecosystem assessments that support fisheries management in the California Current.

Dr. Bjorkstedt is also an experienced science communicator and educator, having taught Fisheries Oceanography, provided regular guest lectures in a suite of marine science courses, and mentored numerous graduate student researchers at Cal Poly Humboldt.

When not doing science, he enjoys fishing, kayaking, backpacking, creative writing and painting, and time with friends and family, whether out in nature or in cozier settings.