Killer Whale Interactions
Increased sablefish or black cod (Anoplopoma fimbria) catches in the 1980s in Prince William Sound and the Bering Sea lead to more reports of killer whales interfering with fishing vessels by removing the hooked sablefish from the longlines as they were being hauled to the surface. In addition to taking the fish, the orcas were […]
Desert Tortoises
Testudinates (turtles and tortoises) have been characterized as deaf because many species exhibit little response to sounds in their environment. However, they possess auditory organs, and several species of tortoises, including the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), produce acoustic social signals and are known to react to meaningful sounds in their environment, including sounds produced […]
Baikal Seals
The Baikal seal (Phoca sibirica) is confined to Lake Baikal in southern Siberia. The breeding distribution of seals in winter, when the lake is frozen over, is fairly well known, whereas their movements and foraging behaviors have been relatively unstudied. With satellite-linked radio transmitters, we documented the movements and dive patterns of four juvenile Baikal […]
Sea Turtle Recovery
HSWRI staff served as the Team Leader of the Pacific Sea Turtle Recovery Team, professional biologists experienced with marine turtles in the Pacific region who drafted recovery plans for species of turtle in 1998. All six species of Pacific sea turtles were listed as endangered, so the team was tasked with creating a plan, if […]