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/ Home / 2023 / May / 19 / Andrew Trites

Andrew Trites

Professor

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Department of Zoology

On leave until December 31, 2023

Director, Marine Mammal Research Unit

Contact Information

Email: a.trites@oceans.ubc.ca
Office phone: 604-822-8182
Location: Rm. 246, Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory (AERL) Building, 2202 Main Mall, UBC
Website: Marine Mammal Research Unit; North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium

Research Unit

Marine Mammal Research Unit

Research Interests

Dr Trites oversees the Marine Mammal Research Unit and a research program that involves captive and field studies of seals, sea lions, whales and dolphins.

His research is primarily focussed on pinnipeds (Steller sea lions, northern fur seals, and harbor seals) and involves captive studies, field studies and simulation models that range from single species to whole ecosystems. His research spans the fields of ecology, nutrition, physiology, and animal behaviour—and is designed to further the conservation of marine mammals. It is also designed to further the conservation and understanding of marine mammals, and resolve conflicts between people and marine mammals. The research program includes researchers, students, technicians, and support staff. The training of students, and the collaboration between researchers specializing in other disciplines (such as nutrition, ecology, physiology and oceanography) is central to the success of his research program.

  • biology of marine mammals
  • population dynamics
  • bioenergetics
  • fisheries
  • data analysis

Publications

Refereed publications

Related stories:


Illustrated catalogue with local artwork showcases the Transient Killer Whales of Central and Northern California and Oregon – the ‘wolves of the sea’
Science is not just for scientists. Citizen science has been instrumental in helping us understand more about the elusive, but majestic, transient killer whales.


Teenage orcas could be roughhousing with boats off the coast of Spain
Killer whales are in the news for sinking boats off the coast of Spain.


Grey Whales — the other Pacific Northwest resident whale
Grey whales face many threats ranging from entanglements and ship strikes, to loss of habitat and reduced prey availability. Researchers are collecting data this summer needed to quantify and mitigate these threats.


Decoding the secret lives of killer whales one micro-second at a time
Using methods to detect when the animals are catching prey and to model their energy expenditure will be key to understanding the differences between these neighbouring whale populations.


No apparent shortage of prey for southern resident killer whales in Canadian waters during summer
Researchers reported that Chinook salmon in the Salish Sea in summertime are four to six times more abundant for southern resident killer whales than northern resident killer whales.


What do differences in animal behaviour reveal about the decline of Steller sea lions in Alaska?
More than 50 years of studying Steller sea lion behaviour has yielded one of the most complete life history descriptions for any species of marine mammal.


Guadalupe fur seals continue to recover as new colony discovered
New colony of Guadalupe fur seals discovered on El Farallón de San Ignacio Island, Gulf of California


The Killers of California and Oregon
Thirteen years of photo-identification data of killer whales observed in California and Oregon provide new insights into the distribution and population structure of mammal-eating killer whales in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.


Blue herons identified as a significant juvenile salmon predator
Looking for predators that ate salmon, an Indigenous biologist suggested looking at heron. Discarded tags proved Pacific great blue herons could be scooping up as many as 3-6% of all juvenile salmon.


Orca Quest 2020: In Search of Killer Whales
In August 2020, Marine Mammal Research Unit (MMRU) researchers set sail to determine whether there are enough chinook salmon to support southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea.

Posted in People | Tagged with core-faculty

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Faculty of Science
Vancouver Campus
The University of British Columbia
AERL, 2202 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4
Tel 604 822 2731
Website oceans.ubc.ca
Email info@oceans.ubc.ca
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