Bree Witteveen
Marine Mammal Specialist
Term Assistant Professor, UAF
Phone: 907.486.1500
Fax: 907.486.1540
E-mail: bree.witteveen@alaska.edu
118 Trident Way
Kodiak, AK 99615
Expertise
SCUBA, Large whale disentanglement
Education
- B.Sc. 2000 University of Washington (Zoology)
- M.S. 2003 University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fisheries)
- Ph.D. 2008 University of Central Florida (Conservation Biology)
Current Projects
- GAP: Gulf Apex Predator Prey Project
- MAD Whales: Monitoring, avoidance and deterrence of whale entanglement
Activities
- Conduct field studies on the temporal and spatial overlap of foraging of fin and humpback whales through analysis of dive patterns, distribution and abundance of available prey resources and population dynamics.
- Assess year-round presence, distribution and feeding behavior of gray whales and assess gray whales as sentinels of ecosystem change.
- Synthesize anthropogenic and natural threats to baleen whale survival.
- Initiate outreach program designed to investigate humpback whale and commercial fisheries interactions and mitigate entanglement events.
- Tagging of large whales to investigate prey utilization and foraging strategies
- Research and development of deployment and design of large whale suction-cup tags
- Develop models to define roles of Kodiak's baleen whales in the Kodiak archipelago ecosystem
Affiliations
- Society for Marine Mammalogy
- Structure of Population, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpback Whales (SPLASH) project steering committee member and regional coordinator
- Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Selected publications
- Witteveen, B. H., J. Straley, E. Chenoweth, O. Von Ziegesar, C. S. Baker, D. Steel, C. Gabriele, and J. Barlow. 2011. Using movements, genetics and trophic ecology to differentiate inshore from offshore aggregations of humpback whales in the Gulf of Alaska. Endangered Species Research 14: 217-225.
- Barlow, J., J. Calambokidis, E. A. Falcone, C. S. Baker, A. M. Burdin, P. J. Clapham, J. K. B. Ford, C. M. Gabriele, R. G. LeDuc, D. K. Matilla, T. J. Quinn II, L. Rojas-Bracho, J. M. Straley, B. L. Taylor, J. Urban R, P. Wade, D. Weller, B. H. Witteveen, and M. Yamaguchi. 2011. Humpback whale abundance in the North Pacific estimated by photographic capture-recapture with bias correction from simulation studies. Marine Mammal Science 27(4): 793-818.
- Wittveen, B.H., G. AJ. Worthy, K.M. Wynne, A.C. Hirson, A. Andrews, and R. Markel. 2011. Exploration of trophic levels of North Pacific humpback whales through analysis of stable isotopes: implications on prey selection and resource quality. Aquatic Mammals 37: 101-110.
- Witteveen, B.H., G. AJ. Worthy, and J. Roth. 2009. Using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios to describe migratory movements of breeding North Pacific humpback whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 393: 173-183.
- Witteveen, B.H., G. AJ. Worthy, K.M. Wynne, and J. Roth. 2009. Population structure of North Pacific humpback whales on feeding grounds as shown by 13C and 15N stable isotope signatures. Marine Ecology Progress Series 379: 299-310.
- Witteveen B.H., R.J Foy., K.M. Wynne., and Y. Tremblay. 2008. Investigation of foraging habits and prey selection by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) using acoustic tags and concurrent fish surveys. Marine Mammal Science 24(3): 516-534.
- Witteveen, B.H., K.M. Wynne, and T.J. Quinn II. 2007. A feeding aggregation of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) near Kodiak Island, Alaska: current and historic abundance estimation. Alaska Fisheries Research Bulletin 12(2): 187-196.
- Mehta, A.V., J. Allen, R. Constantine, C. Garrigue, B. Jann, C. Jenner, M. Marx, C. Matkin, D. Mattila, G. Minton, S. Mizroch, C. Olavarria, J. Robbins, K. Russell, R. Seton, G. Steiger, G. Víkingssonn, P. Wade, B. Witteveen, and P. J. Clapham. 2007. Baleen whales are not important as prey for killer whales Orcinus orca in high-latitude regions. Marine Ecology Progress Series 348: 297-307.
- Witteveen, B.H., R.J. Foy, and K.M. Wynne. 2006. Potential current and historic prey removal due to consumption by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) near Kodiak Island, Alaska. Fishery Bulletin 104: 10-20.
- Witteveen, B.H., J. M. Straley, O. von Ziegsar, D.H. Steel, and C.S. Baker. 2004. Abundance and mtDNA differentiation of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Shumagin Islands, Alaska. Canadian Journal of Zoology 82(8): 1352-1359.
- Witteveen, B.H., G.AJ. Worthy, K. M. Wynne, and R.J. Foy. In press. Stable isotope analysis shows fine-scale temporal and spatial variability in the diet of a marine predator. Marine Mammal Science.
Other
Endurance sports - triathlon and marathon
Acoustic guitar
Hiking
Kayaking
Rock climbing
