Who am I?
Currently I'm an Environmental Scientist at California Fish and Wildlife.
I completed my Masters and PhD at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.
Overall, I'm just a guy who enjoys exploring the world, especially spashing around underwater.
If that happens to involve science, even better.
Current Research
California Fish and Wildlife
Fall Midwater Trawl
- Website: FMWT
I lead the FMWT survey which samples 122 stations throughout the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin estuary each month from September to December. A subset of these data is used to calculate an annual abundance index for important estuary pelagic fish species. These species include: age-0 Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), American Shad (Alosa sapidissima), Splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus), and Threadfin Shad (Dorosoma petenense). This survey is part of a coordinated operation with the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.
Previous Research
My PhD thesis investigated the role of boldness in the ecology of juvenile marine fish. My supervisors were Prof. Mark McCormick and Dr. Mark Meekan. video credit: Alex Vail
Educational background
2016 - PhD in Marine Biology
School of Marine and Tropical Biology - James Cook University - Townsville, Queensland, Australia
2010 - Masters in Marine Biology
School of Marine and Tropical Biology - James Cook University - Townsville, Queensland, Australia
2006 - BSc in Marine Biology
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - University of California, Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Meetings
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2019
Oakland, CA, USA
Incorporating expanded sampling into an alternative abundance index for the Fall Midwater Trawl Survey. Poster presentation at the 14th Biennial State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference. (October 21-22)
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2017
Eureka, CA, USA
Smelt abundances in Cache Slough and other non-index stations sampled in the Fall Midwater Trawl survey. Oral presentation at the 51st American Fisheries Society, Cal-Neva Chapter Meeting. (April 5-7)
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2017
Folsom, CA, USA
Smelt abundances in Cache Slough and other non-index stations sampled in the Fall Midwater Trawl survey. Oral presentation at the 2017 Interagency Ecological Program Workshop. (March 1-3)
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2016
Glasgow, Scotland
The role of boldness and other personality traits in the ecology of juvenile marine fishes. Oral presentation hosted by the Glasgow Fish Biology group at Glasgow University. (January 12)
Meetings
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2014
New York City, NY, USA
Metabolic phenotype of the hunter affect the outcome of predator-prey encounters. Oral presentation at the International Society of Behavioural Ecology Conference. (July 31 - August 5)
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2013
Okinawa, Japan
The relationship between boldness and learning in a tropical reef fish. Oral presentation at the 9th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference. (June 24-28)
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2013
Townsville, QLD, Australia
The relationship between boldness and learning in a tropical reef fish. Oral presentation at the annual JCU Marine and Tropical Biology Student’s Conference. (June 3-4)
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2012
Cairns, QLD, Australia
A comparison of field methods for assessing boldness in fishes. Oral presentation at the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium. (July 9-13)
Meetings
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2011
Townsville, QLD, Australia
A comparison of field methods for assessing boldness in fishes. Oral presentation at the annual JCU Marine and Tropical Biology Student’s Conference (September 29-30)
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2008
Honolulu, HI, USA
Recruitment Dynamics of Scleractinian Corals in a network of National Parks and Marine Protected Areas: West Coast Hawai’i Island. Oral presentation at the 16th annual Hawai’i Conservation Conference. (July 29-31)
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2008
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Recruitment Dynamics of Scleractinian Corals in a network of National Parks and Marine Protected Areas: West Coast Hawai’i Island. Poster presentation at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium. (July 7-11)
Publications
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2016
Animal Behaviour
Brooker RM, Feeney WE, White JR, Manassa RP, Johanson JL, Dixson DL (2016) Using insights from animal behaviour and behavioural ecology to inform marine conservation initiatives. Animal Behaviour. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.03.012
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2016
Journal of Animal Ecology
Palacios MM, Killen SS, Nadler LE, White JR, McCormick MI (2016) Top predators negate the effect of mesopredators on prey physiology. Journal of Animal Ecology. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12523
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2015
PeerJ
White JR, Meekan MG, McCormick MI (2015) Individual consistency in the behaviors of newly-settled reef fish. PeerJ 3:e961. doi: 10.7717/peerj.961
Publications
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2013
PLoS ONE
White JR, McCormick MI, Meekan MG (2013) Syndromes or flexibility: Behavior during a Life History Transition of a Coral Reef Fish. PLoS ONE 8(12):e84262. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084262
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2013
Ecology and Evolution
Chivers DP, Dixson DL, White JR, McCormick MI, Ferrari MCO (2013) Degradation of chemical alarm cues and assessment of risk throughout the day. Ecology and Evolution. doi: 10.1002/ece3.760
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2013
PLoS ONE
White JR, Meekan MG, McCormick MI, Ferrari MCO (2013) A Comparison of Measures of Boldness and Their Relationships to Survival in Young Fish. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68900. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068900