Joe is a USGS biologist that is broadly interested in the ecology of coastal marine communities, particularly the influences of vertebrate predators on community structure.
Most of his field research has focused on sea otter populations around the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. His past and current study sites focus mostly on Central and Southern California (including the Channel Islands), but also include many other locations around the Northeast Pacific like the Aleutian Islands, Southeast and Southcentral Alaska, and Washington. These studies are designed to better understand the suite of direct and indirect interactions between sea otters and other species in the nearshore environment. Joe and his colleagues use this model system to elucidate the influence of high-trophic-level consumers on the organization of the communities in which they live. Their research questions aim to investigate various aspects of sea otter behavioral ecology including: foraging trends, activity budgets, movement patterns, survival, and reproduction. The information gathered from their research helps to obtain a better understanding of sea otter biology, which, through species interactions with biotic and abiotic factors in their environment, advances our knowledge base for entire nearshore marine ecosystems.
In addition to sea otter population studies, Joe's fieldwork also includes intertidal and subtidal surveys of nearshore communities, as well as dive work to capture and tag sea otters and collect data or samples that help us better understand the link between otters, kelp forests, estuaries, and people. Joe and his USGS colleagues are also the lead agency conducting the annual sea otter census in California, which monitors population change and distribution over time. Joe also serves on the USGS National Dive Safety Board as the Southwest Region Dive Safety Officer.
Science and Products
California Sea Otter Stranding Network
California Sea Otter Surveys and Research
Population Biology and Behavior of Sea Otters
Pacific Nearshore Project
Santa Cruz Field Station
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California Sea Otter Stranding Network
The California Sea Otter Stranding Network is part of the USGS effort to monitor southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) and provide data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. WERC's sea otter team works with multiple institutions and partners to report, recover, and examine stranded sea otters. In addition, instructions on how to report a stranded sea otter are included in this webpage.California Sea Otter Surveys and Research
WERC collaborates with other research scientists to conduct annual population surveys of the southern sea otter -- a federally listed threatened species. In coordination with the California Department of Fish and Game and other institutions, ongoing surveys and research continues to inform the southern sea otter recovery plan for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and contributes to our...Population Biology and Behavior of Sea Otters
WERC's sea otter researchers are developing and utilizing a variety of methodological and analytical tools to understand the causes of biological and ecological trends in sea otter populations, and to predict the ecological consequences of management practices on these populations and their ecosystems.Pacific Nearshore Project
Sea otters are crucial indicators of the health of our nearshore waters and coastal resources, from kelp forests to fisheries. What clues does the sea otter's decline hold for our knowledge of ecosystem and global change? WERC's sea otter team and U.S. and Canadian researchers have teamed together to investigate. Relevance to USGS Missions: This research project has direct relevance for the...Santa Cruz Field Station
Scientists at the Santa Cruz Field Station study sea otters and seabirds in their environment. The USGS Western Ecological Research Center has two research missions based in the Santa Cruz region: - Data
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