Nick Whitney, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist and
Chair, Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies (FSET) Program
T: 617-226-2284
nwhitney@neaq.org
Education
Ph.D., Zoology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2009
M.S., Zoology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2007
B.A., Biology, Albion College, 2000
About
Dr. Nick Whitney is a Senior Scientist and Chair of the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies Program at the Anderson Cabot Center. Nick’s work focuses on the use of cutting-edge technology to answer important questions for species conservation and responsible management of natural resources.
Nick’s most recent work has focused on the use of accelerometers, the same technology found in smartphones, Fitbits®, and other modern electrics to study the fine-scale behavior of sharks in the wild. He and his team have used this technology to study shark mating behavior and energy expenditure, and to determine whether and how sharks survive the stress of being caught and released by fishermen. Nick’s accelerometer work has expanded to other animals, including several species of sea turtles, fishes, and pythons.
Select Publications
Whitney N.M., White C.F., Anderson P., Hueter R.E., and G.B. Skomal. 2017. The physiological stress response, post-release behavior, and mortality of blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) caught on circle and J-hooks in the Florida recreational fishery. U.S. Fishery Bulletin. 115:532-543. doi.org/10.7755/FB.115.4.9
Lear K.O., Whitney N.M., Brewster L.R., Morris J.J., Hueter R.E., and A.C. Gleiss. 2017. Correlations of metabolic rate and body acceleration in three species of coastal sharks under contrasting temperature regimes. Journal of Experimental Biology. 220: 397-407. doi.org/10.1242/jeb.146993
Hart K.M., White C.F., Iverson A.R., and N.M. Whitney. 2016. Trading shallow safety for deep sleep: juvenile green turtles select deeper resting sites as they grow. Endangered Species Research. 31:61-73. doi.org/10.3354/esr00750
Whitney N.M., Taquet M., Brill R., Girard C., Schweiterman G.D., Dagorn L., and K.N. Holland. 2016. Swimming depth of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) associated and unassociated with fish aggregating devices. U.S. Fishery Bulletin. 114 (4): 426-434. doi.org/10.7755/FB.114.4.5
Whitney N.M., White C.F., Gleiss A.C., Schwieterman G.D., Anderson P., Hueter R.E., and G.B. Skomal. 2016. A novel method for determining post-release mortality, behavior, and recovery period using acceleration data loggers. Fisheries Research. 183: 210-221. doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2016.06.003
Lear K.O., and N.M. Whitney. 2016. Bringing data to the surface: Utilizing data loggers for large sample sizes from marine vertebrates. Animal Biotelemetry. (2016) 4:12. doi.org/10.1186/s40317-016-0105-8
Whitney N.M., Lear K.O., Gaskins L.C., and AC Gleiss. 2016. The effects of temperature and swimming speed on the metabolic rate of the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum, Bonaterre). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 477: 40-46. doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2015.12.009
Whitmore B., White C.F., Gleiss A.C., and N.M. Whitney. 2016. A float-release package for recovering data-loggers from wild sharks. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 475: 49-53. doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2015.11.002
Whitney N.M., Papastamatiou Y.P., and A.C. Gleiss. 2012. Chapter 9 Integrative multi-sensor tagging of elasmobranchs: emerging techniques to quantify behavior, physiology, and ecology. In: Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives Vol 2. Ed. Carrier JC, Heithaus MR, and JA Musick. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. pp. 265-290.
Whitney N.M., Pratt H.L., Pratt T.C., and J.C. Carrier. 2010. Identifying shark mating behavior using three-dimensional acceleration loggers. Endangered Species Research 10: 71-82. doi.org/10.3354/esr00247
Whitney N.M., Papastamatiou Y.P., Holland K.N., and C.G. Lowe. 2007. Use of an acceleration data logger to measure diel activity patterns in captive whitetip reef sharks, Triaenodon obesus. Aquatic Living Resources 20: 299-305. doi.org/10.1051/alr:2008006
Affiliations