The White Abalone Culture (WAC) Lab based at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory in Bodega Bay, California, leads the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program. Our mission is to create as many white abalone as possible that will be released into the ocean. In 2011, the lab became the Endangered Species Act (ESA) permit holder for caring for and breeding white abalone in captivity. We’ve taken the production of white abalone from zero to tens of thousands of white abalone babies every year and coordinate the efforts across all of our captive breeding partners. Lists of our current team members as well as WAC Lab alumni are below.
Current WAC Lab Members
Dr. Alyssa R. Frederick, PhD (she/they)
Captive Breeding Program Director/WAC Lab PI
For the last decade, I have been exploring the impacts of climate change and disease on abalone physiology and reproduction. As a postdoc in the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program, I used ecophysiology tools to determine how to make as many healthy white abalone babies as possible. As the program director, I supervise all spawning and activities in the WAC Lab, build new collaborations, coordinate activities between the WAC Lab and all of our partner institutions, acquire and administer all funding for the program, and build inclusive spaces to conduct research that improves white abalone production.
I received a B.S. in Marine Biology from American University, where I studied the ecophysiology of corals and the impact of nutrient pollution on mangroves on Guam. I was then a Fulbright New Zealand scholar, where I studied the photophysiology of temperate anemones when I wasn’t volunteering in kiwi bird tracking and conservation efforts. I completed my M.S. (2018) and Ph.D. (2019) in the physiology group in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department of University of California, Irvine. In addition to studying freshwater and marine fish physiology, my dissertation research primarily focused on abalone physiology. I have been a National Geographic Young Explorer and a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences.
I have collaborated with government management agencies, fishery and aquaculture industry, non-profits, and community stakeholders to ensure that my research will help meet research priorities for the conservation of these species and future sustainability of these fisheries. Research and community empowerment are critical for ocean sustainability. I am passionate about science communication, evidence-based policy, and creating just and equitable opportunities across the sciences.
Dr. Lauren Ashlock, PhD (she/they)
Assistant Project Scientist
Lauren is the Assistant Project Scientist White Abalone Culture Lab, at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Lauren received their B.S. in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz in 2012 and their PhD in Biology from the University of Vermont in 2022. After completing a postdoctoral position in the WAC Lab, they became our lead scientist, overseeing the research in the program. Their goal is to figure out how to make more white abalone and prepare those babies for life in the wild. During graduate school, Lauren focused on the adaptive capacity of marine invertebrates to climate change stressors. Prior to graduate school they worked as a technician for the White Abalone Culture Lab. Lauren is excited to be working with white abalone again, and to use their evolutionary biology expertise to conduct research that supports the successful production and outplanting of white abalone. They host students, interns, and volunteers, increasing diverse engagement in our research program.
Nora Frank (she/her)
Husbandry and Data Manager
Nora is the Husbandry and Data Manager for the WAC Lab located at UC Davis. She has over 9 years of experience in aquarium husbandry and marine facility oversight specializing in ecosystems surrounding local waters of the California coast.
As the Husbandry Manager at the primary aquaculture production and research facility for the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program, Nora is responsible for the animal care, water quality monitoring, seawater system maintenance, and program-wide data management for this endangered species and associated restoration efforts.
As the former Aquarist Manager and Lead Aquarist at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center and the University of California, Santa Barbara Marine Research and Education Facility (REEF), she has served as a husbandry specialist, seawater system facility technician, live specimen collector, aquarium administrator, and education and public outreach science communicator. She holds a Master of Science (M.S.) from the University of Denver in Environmental Policy and Management and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Aquatic Biology.
Genece V. Grisby (she/her)
Husbandry and Research Specialist
Genece (pronounced jen-eese) is the Husbandry and Research Specialist for the White Abalone Culture (WAC) Lab at UC Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML). She is responsible for animal care and system maintenance, assisting in research, data management and analysis, as well as participating in education and outreach efforts. Genece is a UC Davis alumni who previously conducted research at BML and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marine and Coastal Science. Before joining the WAC Lab she was traveling around the world as the 2023 North American OWUSS Scholar where she was focused on shark conservation, dive training, and collaborating with ocean advocates and coastal communities.
She has a range of experience in animal care and husbandry, SCUBA diving, field work in a variety of ecosystems, and data science. As a first-gen Bachelor’s recipient and woman of color in STEM, Genece is actively seeking out ways to help underrepresented groups navigate the complexities of academia and experience the underwater world. In the future she aims to pursue an advanced degree in marine ecology focusing on utilizing non-invasive methods in the field.
Isaac Treviño (he/him)
White Abalone Health Specialist
Isaac is the White Abalone Health Specialist, working in both the UC Davis White Abalone Culture Lab and the CDFW Shellfish Health Lab. He communicates with white abalone partners along the west coast, making sure facilities are well equipped to house healthy white abalone.
As part of this project, he receives fecal samples from partner facilities and uses qPCR to detect withering syndrome as well as performs necropsies and other examinations guaranteeing general animal health. He is curious about shellfish health related to feeding as well as changing ocean conditions. Having spent over 6 years working in aquaculture at Bodega Bay Oyster Company and The Cultured Abalone Farm, Isaac’s expertise in shellfish care allows for quality animal care, strong relationships with our partners, and insight into large scale abalone production. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Political Science. His passion to see the shellfish industry grow leads him to explore the development of educational programs as well as keeping up with NOAA’s initiative to increase aquaculture operations in California.
Current WAC Lab Grad Student Collaborators
Audrey Deutsch (PhD Student, Advisor Dr. Sean Godwin, UC Davis; Formerly a Junior Specialist in the WAC Lab!)
Newton Hood (PhD Candidate, Advisor Dr. Donovan German, UC Irvine)
Current WAC Lab Volunteers/Student Interns
Roger Patton
Heidi Flaherty
Corey Kwan
Jose Lobato
White Abalone Culture (WAC) Lab Alumni
We have had the great fortune of working with many talented, dedicated, and exceptional folks over the years. Here we list many of our previous staff, students, researchers, volunteers, and interns at UC Davis. This list is not inclusive of all of our partner institutions (and would be miles long if it was!). Many of the “alumni” of the program are still very much active in white abalone work or in restoration of other abalone species.
WAC Lab PIs
Dr. Kristin Aquilino, PhD (Now: Associate Director, Bodega Marine Lab)
Dr. Gary Cherr, PhD (Now: Professor Emeritus, UC Davis)
Dr. Jim Moore, PhD (Now: Retired; former lead of CDFW Shellfish Health Lab)
UC Davis White Abalone PIs/Leadership
Dr. Laura Rogers-Bennett, PhD (CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist)
Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, DVM (UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center Director)
Dr. Nature McGinn, PhD (EPA)
Research Staff, Technicians, Graduate Students, and Postdocs
Susan Jackson (Now: Business Analyst, LGC Biosearch Technologies)
Shauna Byron
Athena Maguire
Shelby Kawana (Now: Environmental Scientist, CDFW)
Dr. Cynthia Catton, PhD (Now: Aquatics Division Science Advisor, Washington State Department of Natural Resources)
Ben Walker (Now: PhD Candidate, UCSC)
Tallulah Winquist (Now: PhD Student, SDSU)
Dr. Malina Loeher, PhD (Now: Postdoc, Alaska Pacific University & USGS Western Fisheries Research Center)
Emily Hubbard (Now: Environmental Scientist, CDWR)
Kat Magaña (Now: Journeyman Carpenter)
Dr. Carol Vines, PhD (Now: Retired)
Katie Sowul (Now: Abalone Biologist & Diving Safety Officer, WDFW)
Dr. Sam Bashevkin, PhD (Now: Environmental Program Manager, California State Water Resources Control Board)
Dr. Kristin Elsmore, PhD (Senior Environmental Scientist, CDFW)
Chelsey Souza (Now: Pharmacy Student, UCSF School of Pharmacy)
Evan Tjeerdema (Now: PhD Student, Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
Jennifer McNealy (Now: Lab Supervisor, The Duckhorn Portfolio)
Sadie Small (Now: Research Associate, Carbon Drop)
Dr. Priya Shukla, PhD (Now: Associate, Strategic Earth Consulting)
Dr. Dan Swezey, PhD (Now: Director for Oceans and Aquaculture, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria)
Dr. Sara Boles, PhD (Now: Postdoc, UC Davis)
Meghan Zulian (Now: PhD Candidate, UC Davis)
Dr. Emily Kunselman, PhD (Now: Marine Aquaculture Postdoctoral Research Associate, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute)
Audrey Deutsch (Now: PhD student UC Davis, collaborator with the WAC Lab)
Leela Dixit
Volunteers, Undergraduate students, and Interns
Jesse Fichman
Orion Sweet
Zoey Burge
Dominic Dickerson
Elija Ferrer
Ishwa Muzaffey
Steven Ashlock
Daily Alvarez
Ry Ulmer-Strack
Emma Weiand
Gabe Larson
Stephanie Arriaza
Alina Santamaria
White Abalone Captive Breeding Program 