Gregory D. Williams

Background

Greg Williams has been working with the ecosystem science program at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center since 2005. He received a B.S. in biology from Washington and Lee University and an M.S. in fisheries from the University of Washington. Before coming to the NWFSC, Greg worked as a research scientist with the Pacific Estuarine Research Laboratory at San Diego State University and the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Sequim, WA. Greg is a NOAA-certified working diver and member of NWFSC dive team, and has immersed himself, literally, in habitats throughout the Pacific coast of North America, including lagoons of Baja California and southern California, coastal estuaries of the Columbia River and Willapa Bay, Olympic Peninsula kelp forests, and Puget Sound eelgrass meadows.

Current Research

Greg’s research generally seeks to understand how marine and estuarine organisms use habitat and how this can inform ecosystem restoration and management. His research has focused on studying the effects of land-use on nearshore ecological function, using innovative technology (e.g., acoustic tags, stable isotopes) to clarify patterns of marine animal movement and resource use, and developing ecosystem indicators for the California Current. He is presently working in several projects involving marine forage fish (e.g., herring, sardines).

Greg is a coordinator of the California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA), for which he supports the science leads, manages contributions of science team members, develops publication and website content, and facilitates collaboration with NOAA National Marine Sanctuary partners.