Dr Watson is a senior research fellow at the Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Reg has expertise in a range of fisheries areas including penaeid biology, trawl fisheries, computer modeling, stock assessment, underwater visual census and limnology. He has published extensively on the simulation and optimization of trawl fisheries, and on bias in underwater visual census. An experienced ecological modeler, he was a principal researcher in a study of the impacts of marine protected areas and artificial reefs in Hong Kong. He lead a team which developed national marine biodiversity policy for Indonesia. He currently has ongoing collaborative fisheries modeling work with researchers in Australia and Mexico. He has more than 35 years experience working in fisheries and ecology projects in Australia, Canada, USA, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Mexico, Hong Kong and Mozambique.

Dr Watson is currently involved with database, GIS, and analysis of global fisheries with the 'Sea Around Us' project.