Staff

Jeff Seminoff
Marine Turtle Research Program
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
8604 La Jolla Shores
La Jolla, CA 92037
tel: (858) 546-7152
fax: (858) 546-7003
Email: Jeffrey.Seminoff@noaa.gov

Jeffrey Seminoff, Ph.D. is an Ecologist for the Marine Turtle Research Program of the US National Marine Fisheries Service (La Jolla, CA). He is an active member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group and serves as the Group’s Red List Vice Chair, a post in which he coordinates global and regional IUCN status assessments for each of the world’s seven sea turtle species. In addition, he is an editor for the scientific journals Chelonian Conservation and Biology and Ciencias Marinas. In 1993 he co-founded the Tucson-based Coastal Conservation Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people throughout the Southwest about marine ecology and conservation in the Gulf of California. After receiving a MS (1994) and Ph.D. (2000) from the University of Arizona, he was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida from 2001-2002. Dr. Seminoff’s current research uses innovative approaches such as stable isotope analyses, biotelemetry, and aerial surveys to elucidate the life history of sea turtles throughout the Eastern Pacific. His research has been highlighted in numerous magazines and news outlets, as well as on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, PBS, and National Geographic Explorer.

Sue Roden
Marine Turtle Research Program
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
8604 La Jolla Shores
La Jolla, CA 92037
tel: (858) 546-5683
fax (858) 546-7003
e-mail: Suzanne.Roden@noaa.gov

My primary responsibility as a member of the sea turtle research program is the production and analysis of genetic data; more specifically, genotyping the global population of leatherback sea turtles with nuclear markers, called microsatellites. In addition to molecular research, I participate in a number of sea turtle conservation activities, including aerial surveys; nesting beach protection; and the capture, biological sampling and release of turtles.

Robin LeRoux
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
8604 La Jolla Shores Drive
La Jolla, CA 92037
phone: (858) 546-5659
fax: (858) 546-7003
Email: Robin.LeRoux@noaa.gov

My interest in conservation genetics began as an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego . Shortly after graduating in 1998, I began working for the Marine Turtle Research Program at the SWFSC. The research that I am primarily involved with focuses on the population structure and dynamics of foraging and nesting green turtles and leatherbacks in the Pacific, along with hawksbills and greens in the Atlantic. I also work with by-catch samples that have been collected in various fishery operations throughout the Pacific in order to identify stock origin using molecular genetic techniques. My research interests include conservation genetics, sea turtle–fishery interactions, migratory patterns of highly migratory species and how different research disciplines are combined for effective conservation management. I’m also interested in marine habitat conservation and increasing environmental awareness among the general public. Some of my other responsibilities include managing and maintaining the National Sea Turtle Tissue and DNA Archive, providing management support for our program, purchasing and budget analysis, sea turtle sampling and satellite transmitter attachment training, and conducting educational seminars for K-12 classrooms. During my career I have had the unique opportunity to participate in various foraging and nesting beach field projects in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Erin LaCasella
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Marine Turtle Research Program
8604 La Jolla Shores
La Jolla, CA 92037
phone: (858) 546-5696
fax: (858) 546-7003
Email: Erin.LaCasella@noaa.gov

My interests in conservation biology, ecology and genetics led me to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center , where I have been a member of the Sea Turtle Research team since August 2000. I work in the genetics lab and also spend a great deal of time in the field. My responsibilities in the laboratory include the processing and sequencing of mitochondrial DNA of Atlantic loggerhead turtles, green sea turtles, and other species. These analyses are used for stock assessment and population identification. I am also responsible for obtaining import/export clearance of sea turtle samples under CITES. My field work includes the capture, tagging and sampling of green turtles in San Diego Bay and leatherback turtles in Monterey Bay . I also have extensive experience conducting aerial surveys for leatherback turtles and marine mammals in central and northern California , as part of ongoing efforts to document distribution, abundance and habitat use of leatherback turtles in this region. Other field work has included studies of leatherbacks on nesting beaches in the Caribbean and green turtles along the coast of Baja California, Mexico . When I’m not working I like to surf, sail, run and scuba dive.

Denise Parker
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Marine Turtle Research Program
8604 La Jolla Shores
La Jolla, CA 92037
phone: (858) 546-5664
fax: (858) 546-7003
Email: Denise.Parker@noaa.gov

My interest in the ocean and its realm started very early while I was a child growing up on a sailboat in Hawaii . I started marine research with the State of Hawaii 's Division of Aquatic Resources in 1989. In 1991, I was offered a position with the National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Laboratory studying the lobster and bottom-fish fisheries. I started my research on marine turtles in 1994 working with George Balazs of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and started my collaborations with Peter Dutton in 2000. My experience covers all aspects of green turtle research in Hawaii and capture, tagging, and field work on green turtles in both Hawaii and San Diego Bay . Currently, my main interests are in remote sensing and satellite tracking of green, hawksbill, loggerhead, olive ridley, and leatherback sea turtles. We use these tools to focus on movement patterns, habitat use and to promote conservation of sea turtles around the world. I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Hawaii in 1989 and also have two years post-graduate studies in Oceanography and Statistics.

Scott Benson
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Marine Turtle Research Program
c/o MLML Norte
7544 Sandholdt Rd.
Moss Landing, CA 95039
phone: (831) 771-4154
fax: (831) 633-0805
Email: Scott.Benson@noaa.gov

Scott Benson is a marine ecologist with extensive at-sea research experience throughout the world’s oceans. Stationed at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, he is co-investigator of the SWFSC's leatherback turtle ecology program and coordinates research on leatherbacks in central California and the Western Pacific. His education includes a B.A. from San Diego State University and an M.S. in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Since 1985, Scott’s research projects have included integrated studies of marine mammals, seabirds and leatherback turtles, with emphasis on abundance, distribution, ecology, and oceanographic patterns influencing the occurrence of these species. Scott has designed, coordinated, and analyzed results from ongoing surveys of marine birds and mammals in Monterey Bay , including collaborative at-sea ecosystem studies. He also coordinated a Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary program to monitor beach deposition rates of marine vertebrates. Results from these studies have successfully documented natural and anthropogenic impacts on seabirds and marine mammals. Recent field work has included systematic aerial surveys for leatherbacks and marine mammals in central California; telemetry studies of North Pacific leatherbacks tagged at-sea in central California, and on nesting beaches in Papua New Guinea and Papua, Indonesia; capacity building and nesting beach research in the western Pacific; and habitat studies of central California foraging grounds.