BRIANA BRADY

In 1999, Briana graduated from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, with a BS in ecology. While at Lehigh, she spent a summer in Alaska collecting diatom samples for her undergraduate thesis, and a semester abroad in Australia studying marine biology at James Cook University. During the Fall of 1999, Briana began working for the Department of Fish and Game (DFG). A year later she started working towards a Masters in Marine Science at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. The main focus of her thesis was to examine the spatial and temporal trends in biological aspects of market squid (Loligo opalescens) captured by California's commercial fishery. Monthly patterns in market squid length, weight, sex ratios, and fishery landings from 1946 to 2006 were correlated with environmental variables. Market squid were found to grow larger when the months in which they hatched were relatively cooler and when their juvenile stage was associated with greater productivity in the ecosystem. When Briana is not at work, her favorite activities are to go hiking or to walk on the beach whether in California or some far off land.