News & Updates

Welcome, Mark Gold, SIO CalCOFI’s new Director
We are thrilled to share the news that Mark Gold has been named new director of the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, the renowned oceanographic and marine ecosystem monitoring and research program known as CalCOFI. CalCOFI is jointly managed by Scripps Oceanography, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service and California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW).
He will take the helm of CalCOFI from Brice Semmens, who provided exemplary leadership as CalCOFI director for the last eight years, and has stepped down from the role. Brice, thank you for your service to this extraordinary program.
Mark comes to Scripps from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where he was the director for Water Scarcity Solutions. Prior to his role at NRDC, Gold served as Governor Gavin Newsom’s deputy secretary for Oceans and Coastal Policy and executive director of the Ocean Protection Council. In these roles, he served as a key advisor to the governor and California Natural Resources Agency, directing policy, scientific research and critical partnerships to increase protection of coastal and ocean resources in California. He has also held executive leadership positions at UCLA and was president of the non-profit Heal the Bay for nearly 20 years.
You can find the full announcement here: https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/mark-gold-named-new-director-california-ocean-ecosystem-monitoring-program

Welcome, Ben Gire, SIO CalCOFI’s new Oceanographic Technician & Programmer
We are excited to welcome Ben Gire to the SIO CalCOFI oceanographic team! Ben holds a B.S. in Oceanography from Cal Poly Humboldt and previously

Welcome, Annie Effinger, SIO CalCOFI’s new Oceanographic Technician
We are excited to welcome Annie Effinger to the SIO CalCOFI oceanographic team! Annie graduated from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she earned her bachelor’s


Welcome, Josie Adams, SIO CalCOFI’s new Research Associate
We are excited to welcome Josie Adams to the SIO CalCOFI oceanographic team. Josie is a recent graduate of the University of Washington School of Oceanography, where



Welcome, Luke Irza, CalCOFI’s new Research Associate
We are excited to welcome Luke Irza to the CalCOFI team. Luke will serve as a nutrient and seagoing technician. He will carry out the

Welcome, Rachel Pound, CalCOFI’s new Research Associate
We are excited to welcome Rachel Pound to the CalCOFI team. Rachel will serve as a sea going technician and data analyst. She will carry