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Katherina Audley

Katherina Audley
  • BA
  • Managing Director at Whales of Guerrero

About

31
Publications
9,116
Reads
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140
Citations
Current institution
Whales of Guerrero
Current position
  • Managing Director
Additional affiliations
September 2013 - April 2023
Whales of Guerrero Research Project
Position
  • Managing Director
Description
  • Oversees all scientific, educational, community development, conservation, communication, fundraising and administrative activities including but not limited to: planning, strategic development, data collection and analysis, reporting, hiring, community engagement, training programs and events.
January 2007 - February 2007
Eco Center, Grupo Ecologico Antares
Position
  • Consultant
July 2004 - August 2004
Robson Bight Marine Preserve
Position
  • Marine Mammal Observer
Description
  • Killer whale/vessel interaction study volunteer
Education
September 1992 - June 1995
University of California, Berkeley
Field of study
  • Anthropology; Ancient Religion

Publications

Publications (31)
Article
Full-text available
Here, we describe variation in mtDNA haplotypes among 22 individual humpback whales off the Guerrero coast in southern Mexico and compare this to other wintering regions in the eastern North Pacific Ocean using published data. After correcting for different sample sizes, Guerrero humpback whales fit the cline in the eastern North Pacific in which A...
Article
Full-text available
Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) typically inhabit deep oceanic waters from tropical to temperate waters worldwide. However, their ecology and behavior remain poorly understood. We investigated site fidelity and social structure of rough-toothed dolphins using photo-identification data collected between 2014 and 2022 in the continental sh...
Article
Full-text available
For the 40 years after the end of commercial whaling in 1976, humpback whale populations in the North Pacific Ocean exhibited a prolonged period of recovery. Using mark–recapture methods on the largest individual photo-identification dataset ever assembled for a cetacean, we estimated annual ocean-basin-wide abundance for the species from 2002 thro...
Article
Full-text available
We present an ocean-basin-scale dataset that includes tail fluke photographic identification (photo-ID) and encounter data for most living individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset was built through a broad collaboration combining 39 separate curated photo-ID catalogs, supplemented with community sc...
Technical Report
Full-text available
Current knowledge of the abundance, movements, and population structure of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) at the scale of the entire North Pacific Ocean is based primarily on data collected during and prior to 2004-06. In recent years, new technology and international collaboration among research groups across the North Pacific have enabl...
Preprint
Full-text available
We present an ocean-basin-scale dataset that includes tail fluke photographic identification (photo-ID) and encounter data for the majority of living individual humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset was built through a broad collaboration combining 39 separate curated photo-ID catalogs supplemented with...
Preprint
Full-text available
We present an ocean-basin-scale dataset that includes tail fluke photographic identification (photo-ID) and encounter data for most living individual humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset was built through a broad collaboration combining 39 separate curated photo-ID catalogs, supplemented with community...
Article
Full-text available
The SPLASH project (2004–2006) revealed complex population structure and migratory connections, but no regional effort was made along the southern Mexican Pacific coast until dedicated research was initiated in 2010. It is unclear whether humpback whales documented in this region belong to the Mexican or Central American population units. This stud...
Article
Full-text available
The Northeast Pacific subpopulation of the humpback whale migrates every winter-spring to Mexican waters to breed; however, their use of habitat in the Mexican Pacific remains unknown. We investigated the spatial ecology of the humpback whale in the Mexican Central Pacific (MCP) and connections with other Mexican areas. Surveys to search for humpba...
Article
Full-text available
Humpback whales that assemble on winter breeding grounds in Mexico and Hawaii have been presumed to be, at least, seasonally isolated. Recently, these assemblies were declared Distinct Population Segments under the US Endangered Species Act. We report two humpback whales attending both breeding grounds in the same season-one moving from Hawaii to M...
Article
Full-text available
Food sharing is common in the animal kingdom, but rarely reported in marine mammals since it is challenging to observe their feeding behaviors in the wild. Here, we describe food sharing by rough-toothed dolphins, an open ocean dolphin species, off the southwestern coast of Mexico. We observed two dolphins exchanging a fish back and forth during a...
Poster
Full-text available
In-depth marine mammal survey work has never been conducted before in Guerrero, SW Pacific Mexico and no official protection or monitoring measures are in place. We conjectured that humpback whales found off of Mainland Mexico include two distinct population segments, classified as threatened and endangered. In order to contribute to a clearer char...
Presentation
Full-text available
Between 2014-2018, we collaborated with Guerrero communities to cultivate a shift toward marine conservation through: capacity building (wildlife guide and artist training programs); compensation via participatory research; education (2500+ youth, ages 8-12 at 12 schools); 125 outreach events (200,000+ audience reached); ecotourism market developme...
Presentation
Full-text available
Data is deficient regarding humpback whales in south Pacific Mexico. The distinct population segments (DPS) of whales off of Mexico and Central America are listed as threatened (3,264 individuals) and endangered (411 individuals). We conducted 1,303 survey hours off Petatlán and Zihuatanejo, Guerrero between 2014-2017 and determined migratory patte...
Presentation
Full-text available
This presentation documents the presence/absence of marine mammals, establishes patterns of spatio-temporal habitat use and identifies sensitive marine mammal areas in the interest of improved ecosystem management in the state of Guerrero, SW Pacific Mexico. Between January-March 2014-2017, we conducted 200 boat surveys (1303 hours), covering 50 co...
Article
Full-text available
Lobomycosis and lobomycosis-like diseases (LLD) (also: paracoccidioidomycosis) are chronic cutaneous infections that affect Delphinidae in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In the Americas, these diseases have been relatively well-described, but gaps still exist in our understanding of their distribution across the continent. Here we repo...
Presentation
Full-text available
Association patterns have been studied in several cetacean species such as killer whales, bottlenose and humpback dolphins. However, rough toothed dolphin populations are rarely described due to their preference for deep water and pelagic areas. Based on other studies (Ritter 2002, Baird 2008) we hypothesized that rough toothed dolphins form a fiss...
Presentation
Full-text available
Marine mammal diversity, abundance and habitat use data are lacking in the southwestern Pacific state of Guerrero, Mexico. Aggressive behavior from fishing and tourist boats toward marine mammals, exacerbated by the absence of monitoring and enforcement underlies the need for a better understanding of species present. Our intended five-year study a...
Poster
Full-text available
The status of humpback whale populations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was changed recently to remove the species level-listing of endangered and, instead, recognize 14 Distinct Populations Segments (DPS) with their own ESA status, including three in the central and eastern North Pacific with Hawaii delisted, Mexico threatened, and Central...
Poster
Full-text available
Drones are important tools for a wide array of applications in scientific research and monitoring with marine mammals. Few studies have examined if different crafts and systems affect the behavior of animals, or attempted to identify factors influencing the probability of these responses or their subsequent effects. Some published studies on effect...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Esta presentacíon comparta la historia de cómo estudiar las ballenas en México, con un enfoque que integra la comunidad en toda nuestra investigación y hace público que nuestros descubrimientos a la comunidad en tiempo real, está ayudando a desarrollar una mentalidad conservacionista saludable, ecoturismo responsable prácticas y ecoturismo de alta...
Presentation
Full-text available
This talk was presented to the US FWS to share information about the Whales of Guerrero Research Project, a 5-year citizen science project supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mexico Program, National Geographic, and others that aims to survey humpback whales in a little explored area of Mexico, provide local fishermen and boat operators...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The state of Guerrero is data deficient regarding marine mammals. Once an abundant fishery with growing tourism, overfishing, violence and corruption have led to a decline in both fish and tourists. In an effort to boost ecotourism and reduce fishing, we conducted a public, community-driven marine mammal identification, habitat usage and group comp...
Poster
Full-text available
Data are lacking on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Guerrero state, southwest Mexico (N 17° 34’ W 101° 27’), located between known Northeastern Pacific and Central American wintering/calving areas. Interactions between whales and commercial fishing and tourist vessels are increasing, but poverty and corruption in Guerrero have precluded...
Presentation
Full-text available
Knowledge regarding odontocete species occurrence and distribution off the southwestern state of Guerrero, Mexico is extremely limited. Our study goal was to describe and quantify winter occurrence and habitat-use patterns of delphinids in 300 km2 of undescribed coastal waters near Barra de Potosi (20 km south of Zihuatanejo), Guerrero. We hypothes...
Poster
Full-text available
Humpback whales in the North Pacific winter in low latitude areas off Asia, Hawai‘i, Mexico, and Central America. Most of the research off Mexico has focused on the offshore Revillagigedos and mainland Mexico from Mazatlán to Puerto Vallarta, with little work conducted off central or southern Mexico. We used photo ID to examine migratory destinatio...

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