George H. Leonard, PhD
George
Leonard, Science Manager for the Seafood Watch program at Monterey Bay
Aquarium, holds a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Brown University
and a MS in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. At Seafood
Watch, he is responsible for overseeing the research and analysis of capture
fisheries and aquaculture operations related to the development of sustainability
recommendations for the public. These recommendations are made available
in the form of regional pocket guides for consumers as well as additional
products for distributors and retailers. Before joining Seafood Watch
in early 2003, George was the Program Manager for COMPASS (the Communication
Partnership for Science and the Sea) where he helped communicate emerging
marine conservation science to policymakers, NGOs and resource managers.
This work focused on raising the profile of marine reserves as a critical
ecosystem-based management tool for U.S. waters. Prior to his work at
Monterey Bay Aquarium, George was a postdoctoral associate at Hopkins
Marine Station of Stanford University from 1999-2000. His primary ecological
research in graduate school and beyond involved testing basic theories
of population and community ecology using subtidal and intertidal habitats
on both coasts of the United States as model systems. He has given numerous
seminars at academic and research institutions. George is a member of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Ecological
Society of America, the Society of Conservation Biology, Sigma Xi and
the Western Society of Naturalists.