Gerber Lab
Jesse Senko
Sustainable Seafood Consultant, Blue Ocean Institute
Biology PhD Program
School of Life Sciences
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-4601 USA
Office LSA 209
jesse.senko@gmail.com
(203) 394-1119
RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests center on interdisciplinary approaches to conservation, with a special interest in the integration of natural and social science to address conservation issues for vulnerable wildlife populations. I employ a collaborative approach that includes working with multiple stakeholders (e.g. scientists, non-scientists, fishers) to solve important environmental problems. Although the majority of my research has focused on sea turtles, I am most broadly driven by questions at the interface of conservation science and action. My specific interests include applied ecology and conservation; participatory research, small-scale fisheries management and sustainable seafood/fisheries; the development and implementation of novel conservation technology (especially bycatch reduction solutions); animal habitat use and movement decisions; sea turtle biology and conservation; endangered species; behavioral ecology; and the design and evaluation of community-focused conservation strategies (e.g. ecotourism, MPAs).
Read about Jesse’s work this summer “Looking into the eyes of a sea turtle”.
Jesse describes his research in a new documentary on sea turtle conservation. And check out this New York Times’ article describing the documentary.
TEACHING
Arizona State University:
General Biology II (BIO 182)
University of Florida:
Wildlife Techniques
Wildlife of Florida
PUBLICATIONS
Mancini A, Senko J, Borquez-Reyes R, Guzman Poo J, Seminoff JA, Koch V (In press) To poach or not to poach an endangered species: elucidating the economic and social drivers behind illegal sea turtle hunting in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Human Ecology. (PDF)
Senko J, Schneller AJ, Solis J, Ollervides F, Nichols WJ (2011) People helping turtles, turtles helping people: understanding resident attitudes towards sea turtle conservation and opportunities for enhanced community participation in Bahia Magdalena, Mexico. Ocean & Coastal Management 54: 148-157. (PDF)
Frick MG, Zardus JD, Ross A, Senko J, Montano-Valdez D, Bucio-Pacheco M, Sosa-Conejos I (2011) Novel records and observations of the barnacle Stephanolepas muricata (Cirripedia:Balanomorpha: Coronuloidea); including a case for chemical mediation in turtle and whale barnacles. Journal of Natural History 45: 629-640. (PDF)
Senko J, Koch V, Megill WM, Carthy RR, Templeton RP, Nichols WJ (2010) Fine scale daily movements and habitat use of East Pacific green turtles at a shallow coastal lagoon in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 391: 92-100. (PDF)
Senko J, Lopez-Castro M, Koch V, Nichols WJ (2010) Immature East Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas) use multiple foraging areas off the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico: first evidence from mark-recapture data. Pacific Science 64: 125-130. (PDF)
Senko J, Nichols WJ, Ross JP, Willcox AS (2009) To eat or not to eat an endangered species: views of local residents and physicians on the safety of sea turtle consumption in northwestern Mexico. EcoHealth 6: 584-595. (PDF)
