
I’m a marine ecologist and college professor living in Northern California. I started surfing in San Diego in 1970. Although I was born in California, my father was in the Navy so I have lived in five western states — California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Idaho — and Virginia. As an ecologist, I primarily conduct research and write scholarly scientific research articles on coral reefs, the marine aquarium trade, deep-sea invertebrates, and climate change. In my spare time, I blog about surfing, marine biology, and the US west coast / Hawaiian lifestyles I enjoy, as well as reflections on life as a Navy brat and general philosophical issues. Although I often focus on the past, particularly the 1960s and 1970s, my interests are broad and include science fiction, history (including military history), paleontology, astronomy, philosophy, photography and cinematography, and the history of discovery. My other passions are good grinds, mostly BBQ, which you might see here as well.
My goal is to write from a personal perspective about different topics, based on research I distill from the primary literature or books. I write about current and relevant subjects to make them accessible to non-scientific readers. As such, I conduct a fair amount of work on each post. Since this isn’t my primary job it takes time to conduct the background work but I aim for new posts every week or two. Some take significantly longer. Some of my posts start with music and video clips: the intention is to listen/watch these first then read the post. Mood is important and this form of introduction provides a context for my writings as it does for my channel on YouTube.

Please read Here’s the Deal to learn about me and why I blog. The best way to find a post is to search using keywords (upper right, below the banner) or go to the Find a Post page for a complete listing. I also have a complete list and description of all my Youtube videos and a library of books that I recommend to readers on various subjects.
If you are interested in science or marine biology check out my Benthic Ecology Laboratory at the Humboldt State University marine laboratory. I also have Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
Comments and questions on any and all posts are very appreciated as are suggestions for ideas.
Aloha — Brian
P.S. You can reach me at Brian.tissot@gmail.com
One response to “About Dr. Abalone”
Thanks for following The Immortal Jukebox Brian. I hope you have found lots to entertain you and perhaps made some discoveries. If you haven’t visited for some time check it out again! Good luck with your fascinating and distinctive blog. Regards Thom.