A Climate Change with Matt Matern Climate Podcast

Rod Fujita is a pioneering marine scientist, conservation strategist, and ocean sustainability leader whose work has shaped fisheries management and marine conservation around the world. More than 35 years ago, he co-founded the Environmental Defense Fund’s Oceans Program, helping to integrate science, economics, and systems thinking into efforts to restore fisheries and protect marine ecosystems.

Throughout his career, Rod has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications on topics including sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, marine conservation, behavior change, and regenerative production systems. He is the author of Heal the Ocean: Solutions for Saving Our Seas and co-author of the Nautilus Book Award-winning Making Shift Happen: Designing for Successful Environmental Behavior.

An early advocate for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Rod has played a key role in establishing more than 10,000 square miles of protected ocean habitat and helped develop landmark policies such as California’s Marine Life Protection Act and Marine Life Management Act. Internationally, he has contributed to fisheries reform and sustainable ocean management efforts in countries including the Philippines, Belize, Japan, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, and Indonesia.

Rod has trained hundreds of scientists, policymakers, and fisheries practitioners worldwide. He has served as a Fellow with Stanford University’s Center for Ocean Solutions and has been a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation since 2000. He holds a B.A. in Ecology from Pitzer College and a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from Boston University and the Marine Biological Laboratory.