Bill Bushing

Bill is a marine ecologist who studies kelp forest dynamics off Santa Catalina Island (where he has lived for more than 30 years) using satellite images and GIS, and the dispersal of marine invertebrates to offshore islands. He produces educational underwater videos on kelp forests and marine conservation issues.

Bill received his A.B. from Harvard and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. An avid SCUBA diver since the 1960's, one of Bill's life goals is to dive all seven continents. He has backpacked and dived extensively in Europe, S. E. Asia, Australia-New Zealand and the South Pacific. Bill has taught marine biology from elementary to university level. He also has worked on numerous occasions with The Cousteau Society, the Cousteau Institute and Ocean Futures in educational programs and television documentaries dating back to the mid-70's. Bill's icon is marine biologist Edward F. Ricketts who served as the role model for the main character "Doc" in Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" and whose ideas were the basis for Steinbeck's philosophically rich "Log from the Sea of Cortez."