E-Mail: jmarsh@mail.sdsu.edu
My cetacean research experience began in June of 1997 as an intern at the CBL. I participated in land-based theodolite and behavior surveys, as well as boat based photoidentification surveys. I also led a photoidentification lab session, and spent a great deal of time reading many cetacean related articles, theses and dissertations.
For the past year as a grad student, I have been improving my boat driving and photography skills, developing a thesis research project, carrying out photoidentification surveys in Santa Barbara, writing a thesis proposal, and learning the MATLAB language and the social affiliation programs written by Hal Whitehead. I have been assisting Dave Weller in applying these programs to the 1984-1989 San Diego data set and Barbara Bilgre in applying these programs to the 1992-1996 Belize data set and anticipate being a partner in the publication of these findings.
My current research involves an analysis of social affiliation patterns, as well as the
school composition
and stability of the Pacific Coast bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus) in the Santa Barbara and San Diego areas. I am using photoidentification
techniques to individually identify dolphins in the two study areas, and comparisons will
be made between and within these areas. Boat surveys are being conducted weekly in San
Diego and twice monthly in Santa Barbara. The data set I will analyze for my thesis will
include prior (1984-1989) and more recently collected San Diego and Santa Barbara
photoidentification data collected by me and my CBL colleagues Kim
Dudzik and Aimee Lang from 1996 - 1999.
After spending 5 years at a lab bench in the biotech industry, I realized I needed to pursue my marine mammal research dreams. Growing up in the Santa Barbara area, I have always been drawn to the ocean, and to marine mammals in particular. I have traveled to the San Juan Islands in Washington as well as recently to Northern Vancouver Island in Canada to observe killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the wild. I find myself in awe of their size and beauty, and it is the love of these creatures which fosters my desire to learn all about them and other cetaceans, especially their social lives.
I currently reside in San Diego with my husband James and my golden retriever Jordan. The three of us like to walk together and play Frisbee at the beach.
