His research of "deepwater fishes of California" also led to his deep awareness of synthesis in paleontology and archaeologyand marine biology and malacology and these in turn enlightened him about the earlier estuarine landscape at Playa del Rey, where the Greater Ballona Lagoon Ecosystem (GBLE) occurs at this time.
There is much more to share with you in a future revision of this brief biography of a very fine naturalist and scientist of the Los Angeles County coast.
I recently discovered an interview that John Fitch had with a journalist of the San Luis Obispo Tribune newspaper, nearly a half century ago. He was interviewed about the Pismo Clam, and its plight, and precipitous slide toward extinction in California, due the popularity of this clam for food and for sheer recreation of capturing them. He wanted to conserve this species. Keep in mind that the word "Pismo" is a Chumash word, and this species occurs in Chumash Native American Indian sites and also occurs on the beaches of Santa Monica Bay, including Ballona Beach of Playa del Rey and Venice. His values of nature and wildlife to American society seem to fit the model of Ernest Callenbach on ecology. And I see clearly that John Fitch supported the wonderful science of ecology and natural history, including sustainability and ecosystems of planet Earth.
