First Wednesdays: Lecture, Cocktail Hour, and Music

Sea Turtles of California:

What We Know and How We Are Learning More

Drs. Cali Turner and Andy Maurer

Join sea turtle researchers with NOAA‘s Southwest Fisheries Science Center to learn recent highlights about sea turtles found in California waters (and Oregon and Washington too). Research takes place from boats, on the shore, in the lab, in the air, and now under the water. Using a variety of techniques in different settings – scientists have discovered a lot about these marine reptiles. Find out where these animals go, what they eat, how old they are, and new findings about their social behavior.

Green turtles in the eastern North Pacific Ocean are one of the greatest recovery stories of an endangered species and are now regularly sighted in coastal waters in Southern California. In addition to this population, their talk will also feature loggerheads, olive ridleys and the giant leatherbacks.

TICKETS

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DATE

Wednesday
October 4, 2023
7:00–9:00 pm PT

COST

$5.00 per ticket for advance online reservations or $10.00 per ticket on the day of the event at the door (pending availability. Please check first).

Parking is $6.00 for the for 2.5 hours in the structure located directly across from the Aquarium. Cash bar.

About Our Speakers

Cali Turner Tomaszewicz poses in front of a whale skull on a beach

Dr. Cali Turner Tomaszewicz

Research Biologist, Marine Turtle Ecology & Assessment Program
Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Division
NOAA – Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Cali Turner Tomaszewicz is a Research Biologist at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, as part of the Marine Turtle Ecology & Assessment Program (MTEAP). Her research focuses on marine turtle life history, demographics, and ecology. She has studied North Pacific loggerhead and olive ridley sea turtles, eastern Pacific green sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles, and flatback sea turtles in Australia. Marine mammals she has studied include Northern Fur Seals in the Bering Sea and baleen whales in the California Current. Cali began collaborating with MTEAP in 2008 as part of her Master’s research while at University of California San Diego (UCSD) Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) majoring in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. Prior to this, Cali earned a B.A. in Environment, Ecology and Politics from Claremont McKenna College, and experienced several jobs before going to SIO for graduate school - including business consulting, outdoor educator and director at a non-profit aquarium, and as a veterinary technician. In 2016, Cali earned a Ph.D. from UCSD’s Biology Division in Ecology, Evolution & Behavior. Cali investigates the movements and population ecology of sea turtles and marine mammals using field-based capture work, with lab-based work using chemistry to track habitat use patterns, and also estimates age and growth of animals using growth layers found in hard tissues (ex bones or teeth). Cali has also recently become an FAA certified Remote Pilot - as research projects using drones for aerial surveys are being more widely used for marine mammal and sea turtle research.

Dr. Andrew Maurer

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Marine Turtle Ecology & Assessment Program
Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Division
NOAA – Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Andrew Maurer is a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associate, also within the MTEAP research team at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center. His research combines field methods and statistical approaches to address questions of sea turtle movement, habitat use, and population ecology, with a current focus on green sea turtle foraging populations. Areas of expertise range from biotelemetry to demographic modeling, stable isotope applications, embryonic thermal ecology, and global change. Prior to joining the NOAA team, Andrew completed his PhD at North Carolina State University. He received his degree in 2021 after completing a doctoral research program focused on hawksbill sea turtle nesting and migratory ecology in the Caribbean, a region in which he continues to maintain close collaborations.

The Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesdays series focuses on animals, nature and conservation efforts. The events bring scientists, authors, and other experts into its Honda Pacific Visions Theater for an illustrated talk paired with book signings or meet and greets and cocktail/social hours with music and crafts. The programs are best suited for high school and college students and adults of all ages. Lectures are also live streamed.