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 Jan Straley, co-PI: University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus
Ms. Straley has been an Assistant Professor since 1999 and an independent marine biologist studying humpback whales and other large cetaceans in southeastern Alaska since 1979. She holds an MS from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Biological Oceanography and has held federal research contracts and published journal articles focusing on population dynamics, feeding ecology, and social structure of large whales. She will participate in all tasks and phases of project and is responsible for project oversight, progress/final report preparation, budget and coordinating the field logistics between SEASWAP and the acoustic component. Project results will be disseminated in a peer reviewed publication and presentations at conferences integrating the knowledge gained regarding sperm whale biology and recommended passive deterrents for fishing operations. She will represent this project at NPRB and community meetings.
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 Arron Thode, co-PI: Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Dr. Thode has been an Assistant Project Scientist at Scripps since 2002, with research specialties in marine mammal acoustics, ocean acoustic propagation, advanced acoustic tracking methods, and geoacoustic inversion techniques. Dr. Thode earned his PhD at Scripps in 1999, with his thesis work focusing on applying advanced acoustic tracking methods to blue whales off the California coast. From 2000- present he has helped run the towed acoustic arrays in the Sperm Whale Seismic Study (SWSS) in the Gulf of Mexico, where he has developed new methods for tracking sperm whales in three-dimensions. In 2002 Thode was awarded the Office of Naval Research Entry-Level Faculty Award to build and demonstrate acoustic equipment that could be used to study marine mammals in isolated and hostile environments. The Marine Mammals program at ONR provided additional support for constructing this equipment. In 2005, Thode will be a PI in SWSS, continuing his work on 3D sperm whale tracking. Under the present proposal Thode would travel with SEASWAP vessels to collect the acoustic data, perform the analysis, and be lead author on a publication on the acoustic behavior and dive profiles of whales during longline recovery. Dr. Thode will represent the acoustic aspect of this project at NPRB meetings. |
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 Jennifer Cedarleaf
Jennifer (Jen) Cedarleaf came to Sitka to work with birds at the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center in 1995. In 1999, she volunteered to work with Jan Straley and her humpback whale study and, in 2003, Jan was able to hire Jen to be the data manager and logistic coordinator with SEASWAP (Southeast Alaska Sperm Whale Avoidance Project). Jen graduated from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology in 1993. |
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 Victoria (Tory) O’Connell, Key Associate Investigator, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Victoria O'Connell received her B.S. in Fishery from the University of Washington in 1981. She is the Groundfish Project Leader for the Southeast Region, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commercial Fisheries Division. She is responsible for research and management of southeast Alaska commercial groundfish fisheries including longline and pot fisheries for sablefish, longline fisheries for rockfish, and jig and troll fisheries for lingcod. For over 20 years she has worked directly with fishermen, agency personnel and other scientists to develop and implement commercial groundfish port sampling programs, groundfish resource assessment surveys, studies of life histories of groundfish species, onboard observer programs, management plans, and evaluation of marine protected areas. O'Connell has also conducted numerous in-situ surveys using SCUBA, occupied submersibles and multibeam and sidescan sonar mapping and has published habitat-based rockfish stock assessments using line transect methods conducted from a submersible.
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 Linda Behnken, Collaborating Investigator, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association
Ms. Behnkenh as a MES from Yale University. She has been a commercial fisherman in southeastern Alaska since 1981, has served as the Executive Director of ALFA since 1991. She was a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council from 1992-2001. She will participate in project design, be responsible for ALFA coordination with fishing fleet participating in project, oversee logbook data collection and organization and serve as a co-author on behavior and deterrence report. |
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 Sarah Mesnick, Collaborating Investigator
Dr. Mesnick is Director of Natural Science and Outreach Programs for the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, and a Marine Scientist at the SWFSC, NMFS, Her primary research interests are patterns of species diversity, the conservation and management of endangered marine vertebrates, and behavioral and molecular ecology of marine mammals. She will be responsible for the genetic component of this study. |
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