Meet Tristin Anoush McHugh

Lower Thirds Title: Subtidal Ecologist

Tristin Anoush McHugh, the director of the Kelp Forest Project with The Nature Conservancy and a marine biologist, is an experienced scientific diver who focuses on subtidal restoration practices. She has also been heavily involved in Reef Checks along the coast through her work on this project. With over 1,500 dives and a large knowledge base she is an expert on ecosystems which affect red abalone health. Given this it is no surprise that Tristin was inaugurated into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2015. Tristin recently relocated to Mendocino County where the red abalone industry was primarily focused in recent years for recreational diving. In moving to the area, she has not only noticed a community in mourning over the loss of a precious species local to the region, but also a loss in economic standing due to its heavy ties to the red abalone industry. For example, the recent closure of a local dive shop, Subsurface Progression, whose primary service in summer months was providing recreational divers with proper equipment, licenses and diving tags. 

Link to Reef Check Worldwide: https://www.reefcheck.org/kelp-forest-program/kelp-restoration/ 

Link to an article on Tristin’s research: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/person/tristin-mchugh/