Dr. K. David Hyrenbach

• B.S. Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution,
  University of California, San Diego
• Ph.D. Biological Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

My main research interests are the oceanic habitats of far-ranging pelagic vertebrates (seabirds, turtles, cetaceans, tunas), and the physical mechanisms (upwelling, convergence) that define predictable areas of enhanced biological activity in pelagic systems. My objective is to incorporate an understanding of natural history and oceanography into the design of management and conservation strategies (i.e., gear modifications, area closures, Marine Protected Areas) to protect highly mobile pelagic species and their dynamic habitats.

My doctoral dissertation examined how oceanographic variability influenced the distribution and abundance of marine birds off the West Coast of North America. My
thesis research addressed a broad range of temporal (hours - years) and spatial (10's -
1000's of kilometers) scales, and combined three distinct perspectives of marine bird
dispersion: Individual foragers, regional scales, and ocean domains. The results of my
dissertation underscored the notion that distinct processes structure marine bird communities at diverse spatial and temporal scales. Seabird assemblages were influenced by prey dispersion over coarse-meso scales (10's - 100's km), and by ocean productivity and water mass distributions over larger macro-mega scales (1000's km).

At the Duke Marine Lab, I am working collaboratively with other members of the Crowder lab to characterize the ecological impacts of longline fisheries bycatch on sea turtles, sharks, seabirds and marine mammals. More specifically, my research entails relating the spatial and temporal distributions of fishing effort and bycatch to underlying oceanic habitats defined by static (i.e., bathymetry) and dynamic (i.e., ocean temperature, chlorophyll concentration) properties.

Starting in the May 2002, I am also working on the SEAMAP (Spatial Ecological Analysis of Megavertebrate Populations) project. This ambitious initiative will create a publicly-available database of marine mammal, bird and turtle data for the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS).

Additionally, I spend approximately a quarter of my time working on pelagic conservation and climate change questions off the West Coast of North America. I am involved in two ongoing vessel-based monitoring programs of the California Current System (CalCOFI) and the Subarctic North Pacific Ocean, and several marine conservation efforts including the Marine Species of Common Conservation Concern (MSCCC) initiative, the Pelagic Predators, Prey and Processes (P4) project, and the North Pacific Albatross Working Group (NPAWG).

Our applied research at the Duke Marine Lab seeks conservation solutions guided by a
thorough understanding of natural history and habitat variability. This integrated and interdisciplinary management approach is essential to address complex conservation problems like longline fisheries bycatch and climate change.

Selected Publications

Marine Protected Areas

• Hyrenbach, K.D., Forney K.A., and Dayton, P.K. 2000. Marine Protected Areas and
  Ocean Basin Management. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems,
  10:437-458. PDF here.

Satellite Telemetry

• Hyrenbach, K.D., and Dotson, R.C. Assessing the susceptibility of female Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) to longline fisheries during their post-breeding dispersal: An integrated approach. Biological Conservation. In Press.
• Hyrenbach, K.D., Fernández, P, and Anderson, D.J. 2002. Oceanographic habitats of two sympatric North Pacific albatrosses during the breeding season. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 233: 283-301. PDF here.
  
• Hyrenbach, K.D., and Dotson, R.C. 2001. Post-breeding movements of a male Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes. Marine Ornithology, 29:23-26. PDF here.
  

Marine Bird Population Surveys

• Hyrenbach, K.D. Plumage-based ageing criteria for the Black-footed Albatross. Marine Ornithology. In Press.
• Hyrenbach, K.D. 2001. Albatross response to survey vessels: Implications for studies of seabird distribution, abundance and prey consumption. Marine Ecology Progress
  Series, 212:283-295. PDF here.
• Hyrenbach, K.D., Baduini, C.L., and Hunt, G.L., Jr. 2001. Line transect estimates of Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) mortality in the Southeastern Bering Sea: 1997-99. Marine Ornithology, 29: 27-34. PDF here.

Marine Birds as Indicators of Ocean Variability

• Hyrenbach, K.D., and Veit, R.R. Ocean warming and seabird communities of the California Current System: response at multiple temporal scales. Deep-Sea Research. In Press.
• Baduini, C.L., Hyrenbach, K.D., Coyle, K.O., Pinchuk, A., Mendenhall, V., and Hunt,
  G.L., Jr. 2001. Mass mortality of short-tailed shearwaters in the southeastern Bering Sea
  during summer 1997. Fisheries Oceanography, 10:117-130. PDF here.
  
• Veit, R. R. and Hyrenbach, K. D. 2001. Changes in Seabird Communities of the California Current, 1987-1999. In: Green, R.E., Harley, M., Spalding, M., and Zöckler C. (Eds.), Impacts of climate change on wildlife. Proceedings of the "No place to go" Climate Change and Wildlife Conference. University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, September 16-19, 1999.

Kim Urian

Danielle Waples

I am interested in the behavioral ecology of marine mammals, particularly aspects of foraging ecology, habitat use, and fisheries interactions. I received my Master's in Marine Sciences from the University of California at Santa Cruz working on seasonal differences in activity budgets of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota, Florida. I moved from California to North Carolina 3 years ago (talk about culture shock!) and have been working as a researcher with Andy Read since then. My field work consists of small boat driving, photo-identifying bottlenose dolphins, collecting data on dolphin and whale activity, trawling for fish and invertebrates, ensuring Meeko's nutritional needs are met, and blimp wrangling.

I have participated in a number of interesting projects, several of them focusing on the interactions between marine animals and commercial fisheries. We just completed a study that used an overhead video system to look at how dolphins behave around gillnets, in order to understand why dolphins sometimes become entangled in this gear. Most recently I am working with Catherine McClellan who is putting satellite tags on sea turtles. This has been a great opportunity to trailer our boat around North Carolina, sample regional cuisine, and interact with local fishermen.