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                                                                    Caroline Fox, PhD 
                                               Coastal Ecologist and Conservation Scientist
                                                            



At Sea with the 
Marine Birds of the Raincoast 
 Learn more here. Buy here.

Winner of the 2017
Lane Anderson award for science writing &
Shortlisted for the 2017 Basil Stuart-Stubbs prize 

Reviews

... "a lovely, intelligent book" ... "Fox's expertise" ... "is framed by a cinematic eye and a lyrical frame of mind. She is one of the best nature writers I've encountered in recent years."
                                                          - D. Shulman, 10,000 Birds. [Full Review] 

"Seldom do academics pen statements such as, 
"From across canyons of evolutionary space, they seeped into my subconscious, bird by bird, and their complex, wondrous lives became wound up with mine." I hope there will be more from her."
                                                                             - R. Butler, Hakai Magazine. [Full Review]

"a compelling hybrid of sorts: part field guide, part animal history, and part personal journal. The narrative has a rhythm like the ocean itself" ... "but don't let the pleasure of reading this enjoyable narrative fool you: Fox's story has as much depth as the open ocean."  
                                             - S. MacPherson, the Ormsby Review. [Full Review]
Research Interests 

As a coastal ecologist and conservation scientist, my research interests tend to be diverse. In general, I conduct interdisciplinary and collaborative research within a mosaic of coastal ecosystems, studying the ecology of marine and coastal predators, cross-ecosystem interactions, particularly those driven by migratory animals, and more. Because anthropogenic activities act as major forces of ecological and evolutionary change in coastal ecosystems, these influences also constitute an active part of my research. 

News
  • June 2018 - Hakai Magazine reports on our spawning Pacific herring research: 'Herring Fertilize the Coast, One Spawn at a Time'.
  • May 2018 - New manuscript that examines the influence of spawning Pacific herring on intertidal and nearshore communities is published open access in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
  • April 2018 - Our manuscript that examines perspectives of Canadian society for the role of science in Canada's environmental assessment is published open access in Facets.
  • October 2017 - My nonfiction book, At Sea with the Marine Birds of the Raincoast, wins the Lane Anderson Award for science writing in Canada.
  • September 2017 - I was fortunate to join the Canada C3 Expedition to the Arctic (Leg 11: Kugluktuk to Tuktoyaktuk). My role included bird and mammal observations, but more broadly, I participated on an amazing expedition with four key themes: Reconciliation, the Environment, Diversity and Inclusiveness, and Youth Engagement. [link]
  • July 2017 - Dr. B. Beasley and I taught Coastal Biodiversity and Conservation at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.
  • May 2017 - Our op-ed regarding environmental assessments in Canada was published in Policy Options. [link]
  • April 2017 - I was profiled as a scientist by Canadian Science Publishing. Article by Sarah Boon.
  • February 2017 - Our new paper on predicted marine bird distribution and density, including several species at risk, is published in Marine Ecology Progress Series. [open access link]
  • February 2017 - For valentines day, I presented with Robert Bateman at the Robert Bateman Centre. My talk was about "the Love of Marine Birds".
  • November 2016 - >1900 early-career researchers (including myself) call for greater scientific integrity in environmental decision-making in Canada. View our letter and media here.
  • September 2016 - News article about trip to the Great Bear Rainforest and "Fantastic Dr Fox" by the National Observer. [link]
  • September 2016 - Our paper, "A preliminary spatial assessment of risk: marine birds and chronic oil pollution on Canada's Pacific coast" was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. [link]
  • July 2016 - I attended the 4th International Marine Conservation Congress, held in Newfoundland, and presented collaborative research on North Atlantic right whales and their habitats.
  • May 2016 - My nonfiction book 'At Sea with the Marine Birds of the Raincoast' was published by Rocky Mountain Books. A portion of proceeds are directed to conservation; [view] and [buy] from Raincoast, local NGO.
  • April 2016 - Our letter, entitled "Pacific herring and fisheries management in Canada: A new era or repeated history?" was published in Ocean & Coastal Management. [link]
  • March 2016 -  For the University of Victoria's Idea Fest, I presented a story about Short-tailed Albatrosses.
  • February 2016 - Together with colleagues, I organized the workshop 'Ships and Whales: Using AIS and acoustics to evaluate exposure and risk' at the University of Victoria.
  • December 2015 - Our paper, 'Updated marine mammal distribution and abundance estimates in British Columbia' was published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. [open access link]
  • November 2015 - I officially started as a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow at Dalhousie University.
  • October 2015 - K. Pawluk and I co-taught Marine Population Ecology & Dynamics at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.
  • August 2015 - Our paper, 'The Unique Ecology of Human Predators' was published in Science! [link]
  • July - August 2015 - Dr. B. Beasley and I co-taught Coastal Biodiversity & Conservation at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.