About Me

Background

I am a retired Professor of Marine Biology whose lifetime research focused upon the ecology of coral reef fishes and the coral reef ecosystems which they inhabit.

I received a Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences from the Marine Science Institute at the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1973. Soon thereafter I moved to Florida where I began research on Caribbean coral reefs and reef ecosystems. I have authored or co-authored numerous scientific papers, technical reports, and several popular books on coral reefs and marine life.

I also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in marine biology at both the Florida Institute of Technology and the University of California at Berkeley, where I finished my academic career as a Visiting Professor and Research Associate.

I then began a consulting career as an expert on coral reef fisheries and Marine Protected Area (MPA) planning efforts. I conducted these efforts in The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Antigua, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Malaysia. I am also a retired (inactive) SCUBA Instructor (NAUI).

Why I Built This Web Site

I decided to create this web site to provide visitors a concise but comprehensive and scientifically accurate overview of the main aspects of the structure, ecology, and marine life of coral reef ecosystems, written for a general (i.e., non-scientist) readership.

While there are many web sites about coral reefs, most that I found concentrated on only one or several of the many essential aspects of coral reef ecosystems that visitors might be interested in.

Some very good sites have been created by branches of U.S. or international governments, but are aimed more at disseminating information targeting the professional scientific community rather than the general public.

Many coral reef sites created by non-profit organizations contained some good information, but were mainly focused upon the current threats to coral reefs and efforts underway to protect them (as well as soliciting donations), and contained minimal basic information on coral reef ecosystems, marine life, or ecology.

Many other "coral reef" web sites were simply commercial sites promoting particular tourism and sport diving opportunities.

Thus, I felt there was an unfilled niche for a plain English "just the facts" web site about coral reefs and reef life, and that is what this website is all about. It is my sincere hope that visitors agree with that assessment, and find the site to be a unique informational resource. I shall continue to review and update the material presented on this web site at regular intervals to keep it current with the latest scientific findings.

Thanks for visiting my "about me" page, and please come back to our web site often.

William Alevizon, Ph.D., September 2009