Faculty of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology
Biotelemetry Laboratory
Migramar Staff
 Dr. Pete Klimley |
 Dr. Alex Hearn |
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 James Ketchum |
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Our mission at the Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology faculty is to promote research and understanding of the biology of wild vertebrates, including native, non-native, and pest species, with the goal of improving management of these species for the people of California and elsewhere.
Our conceptual arena is the ecology and conservation of wild vertebrates, and resolution of negative interactions between people and wildlife species.
At the Biotelemetry Laboratory we use of state-of-art tracking technologies with geographic information systems to understand fundamental physiological, behavioral, and ecological processes. We have tracked species ranging from minnows to white sharks to harbor seals with ultrasonic, radio, archival, and satellite tags as well as detected them with automated monitors. Our studies aim to elucidate the link between an animal’s behavior and its social and physical environment.
Our work with Migramar
The Galapagos Archipelago is one of the last outposts where large numbers of sharks still linger in the tropical eastern Pacific, but, ironically, have remained largely unstudied.
These islands epitomize the conflict between fishers, tourist companies, scientists and conservationists, therefore, studies focusing on sharks and on new and better alternatives to conserve and manage local marine resources are crucial. The latter could foster collaboration and stronger ties between stakeholders.
This work addresses the following questions: How do sharks move in the archipelago? Are there specific physical characteristics that define key habitats for sharks at these islands? How should we design marine reserves for sharks and other marine species?
To help answer these questions, we work closely with Eduardo Espinoza of the Galapagos National Park and César Peñaherera from the Charles Darwin Foundation.
