Meet Christine Moffitt!

For our third installment of New Council Member Fridays, we’re happy to introduce Christine Moffitt! 

Christine spent the summer of 1969 in Coos Bay at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, which fueled her love for the Oregon coast. Christine says her favorite place in Oregon is the Shore Acres state park due to the natural beauty, amazing beaches, and dramatic waves one can encounter there.

In her role as a fisheries biologist, Christine’s work was directly affected by invasive species introductions. She focused her research on understanding aquatic systems, which includes the present-day consequences of invasive species introductions made more than 150 years ago, when fisheries and biologists didn’t know how drastic those consequences would be. She has mostly spent time working on the removal of invasive fish, including eradicating carp. Christine got involved with other, smaller organisms while studying whirling disease, mollusks, and shellfish. Her biggest concern is the altering of ecosystems: small organisms are so easily transported, hard to see and understand, and there is still so much about them that is unknown. Globalization poses a large threat due to transportation and speed at which organisms are being relocated.

As a newly appointed Oregon Invasive Species Council member, Christine is most looking forward to using her knowledge to make a difference and support education and awareness about invasive species. In addition to her accolades as a biologist and role as Emerita professor at the University of Idaho, she also loves music and is the president of the Oregon Coast Music Association.