Bonnie Basnett

Bonnie Basnett is a PhD student at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. Her research centers on improving management strategies for small-scale fisheries in Latin America and French Polynesia, bringing together perspectives from fisheries science, conservation, and the social sciences.

Bonnie’s passion for fisheries work began while conducting creel surveys for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. She later joined the Fisheries and Conservation Biology Lab at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she contributed to the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program, assessing groundfish populations in and around Marine Protected Areas. Her master’s thesis involved leading hook-and-line fishing trips along the Pacific Coast—from Alaska to California—to study the trophic ecology of Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus).

Beyond academic research, Bonnie has held diverse roles in marine science as an aquarist, marine science educator, and marine mammal stranding network coordinator. For nearly nine years, she volunteered as a SCUBA diver at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, presenting educational feeding shows to the public.

She earned a B.S. with honors in Biology and Zoology, with minors in Scientific Diving and Studio Art from Humboldt State University, and an M.S. in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Labs/San José State University. Bonnie welcomes opportunities to collaborate—feel free to reach out.