Leslie Hart will receive a master’s degree in biological sciences from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in March 2018. During graduate school, Hart worked as a laboratory and field technician, monitoring eelgrass density and health in intertidal Morro Bay habitats and sea star recovery after a massive decline due to sea star wasting syndrome. Hart’s thesis investigated the seasonality of red abalone recruitment dynamics and the physical oceanographic parameters that may correspond to peaks or troughs in recruitment.
Hart helped draft a coastal fishing communities policy to be adopted by the Fish and Game Commission, reevaluated the Commission's policy on restricted access for commercial fisheries, and reviewed best management practices for aquaculture.
