Jason Hassrick

Jason Hassrick earned a doctorate in marine ecology at UC Santa Cruz for his research on the foraging ecology of female northern elephant seals and how it relates to their age and weight. His tagging and tracking research, conducted under the direction of California Sea Grant researcher Daniel Costa, focused media attention on the importance of apex predators to ocean health.

As a State Fellow at NOAA Coastal Services Center’s West Coast Regional Office in Oakland, Hassrick contributed to a variety of coastal resource management programs of relevance to the West Coast. He planned workshops that taught low-lying coastal communities how to plan for rising sea levels and subsequent inundation during storms. He also coordinated some of the logistics of opening a new NOAA office in San Francisco specifically dedicated to serving San Francisco Bay. Other projects included reviewing and planning a five-day climate change training session and provided administrative support to an upcoming meeting of West Coast governors.