Using logs from 74 voyages between 1846 and 1901, housed at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, we assessed the opportunistic and targeted taking of non-whale species that occurred as a byproduct of whaling activities. 32 different taxonomic groups were targeted, both marine and terrestrial, including predominantly walruses, ducks, cod, grampus, and seals. This amounted to over 2.4 million kilograms of meat, equivalent to approximately 34 kilograms of meat per day at sea. Our research was covered in The Atlantic and Hakai Magazine.
For this project, I employed stratigraphic analysis of sediment from a tidal marsh along the Hudson River, in Rockland County, New York, in order to construct a high-resolution paleoecological record of this ecosystem, particularly to illustrate its history of resilience in spite of contaminations caused by industry and invasive species. This research stemmed from plans to build a desalination plant directly adjacent to these marshlands, which would have resulted in habitat destruction; oversalination and chemical pollution; and disturbances from excessive vibration, light, and noise.