Profile

Prof Sascha Hooker
Professor
My research concerns specifically the foraging and diving behaviour of marine predators and more generally how this can inform conservation planning in the ocean.
Current Projects
Marine predator foraging ecology
Work on predator foraging often relies on inference from dive profiles. Using a miniature video camera attached to the animal we can view the foraging space of a diving animal and test previously used proxies for foraging behaviour. The identification of foraging areas and assessment of the stability of these over time and space enable us to investigate variability in foraging success and the criteria driving this (whether anthropogenically or environmentally induced).
Diving physiology
The mechanisms allowing marine mammals to avoid problems associated with diving to depth are still only partially understood. Recent deaths of beaked whales associated with sonar exposure appear to be due to decompression sickness. I am interested in how problems such as shallow-water blackout and decompression sickness are avoided, and use modelling approaches to determine risk based on dive profiles.
Conservation planning and marine protected areas
An ecosystem-approach is widely advocated in conservation planning but ecosystem modelling approaches, despite their sophistication, often suffer from a lack of source data or inherent uncertainties. An alternative is to use spatially explicit management. I am interested in the application of such marine reserve areas to higher predators.
Research Overview:
I have broad interests in foraging and diving behaviour of marine mammals, and the physiological constraints underlying this. I am keen to apply my work wherever possible toward conservation biology, and have worked on introduced pest species, the effect of anthropogenic sounds, contaminants, and the development of marine protected areas.
50 (of 58 /dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/status/published available) for sh43 (source: University of St Andrews PURE)
Please click title of any item for full details
Scientific Reports 2021 vol. 11
Endangered Species Research 2021 vol. 44 pp. 291-325
Nature 2020
Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 2019 vol. 20 pp. 27-66
Animal Biotelemetry 2019 vol. 7
Frontiers in Marine Science 2019 vol. 5
Marine Mammal Science 2017 vol. 33 pp. 955-965
Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics 2016 vol. 27
Royal Society Open Science 2015 vol. 2
Animal Biotelemetry 2015 vol. 3
Ecography 2014 vol. 37 pp. 212-220
PLoS One 2013 vol. 8
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 2012 vol. 279 pp. 1041-1050
Endangered Species Research 2012 vol. 19 pp. 47-61
Endangered Species Research 2011 vol. 13 pp. 203-218
Endangered Species Research 2010 vol. 10
Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 2009 vol. 167 pp. 235-246
Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 2009 vol. 165 pp. 28-39
Marine Technology Society Journal 2009 vol. 43 pp. 51-59
Environmental Pollution 2008 vol. 152 pp. 205-216
Marine Technology Society Journal 2008 vol. 42 pp. 65-75
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 2008 vol. 55 pp. 1179-1192
Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 2007 vol. 54 pp. 177-182
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2007 vol. 87 pp. 321-325
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 2006 vol. 53 pp. 1762-1771
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences 2005 vol. 272 pp. 355-363
Bioscience 2004 vol. 54 pp. 27-39
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 2003 vol. 283 pp. 145-146
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 2003 vol. 50 pp. 927
Marine Mammal Science 2002 vol. 18 pp. 69-80
Biological Conservation 2002 vol. 104 pp. 51-58
Marine Ecology Progress Series 2002 vol. 225 pp. 287-297
Marine Mammal Science 2002 vol. 18 pp. 680-697
Marine Pollution Bulletin 2002 vol. 44 pp. 1296-1303
2002
Fishery Bulletin 2001 vol. 99 pp. 303-308.
Canadian Journal of Zoology 2001 vol. 79 pp. 1442-1454.
Mammal Review 2001 vol. 31 pp. 81-105
Canadian Journal of Zoology 2001 vol. 79 pp. 478-484.
Animal Behaviour 2001 vol. 62 pp. 369-377.
Canadian Journal of Zoology 2001 vol. 79 pp. 988-996
Contact Details:
Prof Sascha HookerScottish Oceans Institute
East Sands
University of St Andrews
St Andrews
KY16 8LB
Fife
UK
tel: 01334 467201
fax: 01334 463443
room: 1.10
email: sh43@st-andrews.ac.uk
Related:
research@st-andrewsPersonal web page
Sea Mammal Research Unit
Biology Management Group
School of Biology
Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences
IBANS Behavioural Ecology
Centre for Biological Diversity
Scottish Oceans Institute
BDG
Biology Equality and Diversity Committee
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The Secretary
Scottish Oceans Institute
Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba
Gatty Marine Laboratory
East Sands St Andrews
KY16 8LB
Scotland
UK
tel: +44 (0) 1334 463472
fax: +44 (0) 1334 463443
email: soi@st-andrews.ac.uk
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