Fieldwork with Associate Researcher Chloe Kotik, Bay Cetology, & DFO
Orca Conservancy Associate Researcher Chloe Kotik is back from the field! In addition to working with OC, Chloe is a Ph.D. student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she researches the life history and toxic anthropogenic contamination of mammal-eating Bigg’s killer whales in collaboration with Bay Cetology and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Chloe has spent the last five years studying killer whales in the region, with past projects investigating the morphometry, growth, health, and behavior of Southern Resident and Bigg’s killer whales.
Northern Resident killer whale A94 off Alert Bay, B.C. Photograph by Chloe Kotik under DFO MML-001
As part of her current dissertation studies, Chloe works with Bay Cetology and DFO to conduct photographic identification surveys on at-risk cetaceans in British Columbia. Her most recent effort, supported by Orca Conservancy, took her to Alert Bay, B.C., where she and collaborator Jared Towers (Bay Cetology, DFO) surveyed for minke whales, Northern Residents, and Bigg’s killer whales in the coastal waters around northern Vancouver Island. They had successful photo-ID encounters with minke and Northern Resident killer whales as well as harbor porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and humpback whales!
A humpback whale pausing to breathe as it feeds off northern Vancouver Island, B.C. Photograph by Chloe Kotik under DFO MML-042
Photographic identification is a cornerstone of cetacean research. Here at home in the eastern North Pacific, a vast community of researchers and organizations work constantly to maintain coverage of many important species and populations. Their efforts are fundamental to ongoing studies on the health and population dynamics of marine mammals, which in turn help to inform management and conservation. Orca Conservancy is proud to support this work, and we look forward to seeing more from Chloe’s research in the future!
Minke whale M006 “Eclipse” traveling near Alert Bay, B.C. Photograph by Chloe Kotik under DFO MML-042