Robert Spies, President

Dr. Spies has investigated the fate of radionuclides in coastal and coral atoll marine ecosystems and has studied the fate and effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on the ecosystems of the Southern California Bight. Dr. Spies has been in charge of investigations of the effects of organic contaminants and histopathological abnormalities on reproduction of starry flounder in San Francisco Bay.

Dr. Spies conducted a study on the hard-bottom communities in the Santa Maria Basin Oil Field development area. He was the Principal Investigator for a study of the occurrence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments in San Francisco Bay and in charge of a project applying accelerator mass spectrometry to marine ecology.

Dr. Spies investigated the accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons by bivalves and the induction of P-450 enzymes in fish following a large oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. He has studied biochemical and physiological indicators of contaminant exposure in feral fish and investigated the effects of polynuclear aromatic compounds on stripped bass.

Dr. Spies has also investigated the effects of DDT and PCB on reproduction of kelp bass in Southern California, the effects of organic contaminants on biomarkers in San Francisco Bay flatfish, and has served as Chief Science Advisor to governments on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoraton Program.