Area of Expertise:
Kathy began her involvement in cetacean research over 35 years ago as a lightkeeper, listening for the sounds of killer whales using a permanently-mounted hydrophone. She returned to UBC to study the ecology of Pacific white-sided dolphins and continues to be fascinated by them. Kathy is interested in bioacoustics and underwater noise, and its impacts on marine life, as well as the resident dolphins in the Strait of Georgia – particularly their foraging behaviour and prey choice. As a Research Associate at the Coastal Ocean Research Institute, she works with colleagues and trainers in both B.C. and Alaska to study how dolphins use echolocation to find and pursue prey, and to detect and avoid underwater hazards such as nets.
Select Presentation(s) / Publication(s):
Heise, Kathy, “Biological impacts of underwater noise from vessels” (2018). Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. 598. https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2018ssec/allsessions/598
Heise, Kathy & Barrett-Lennard, Lance & Chapman, Ross & Dakin, Tom & Erbe, Christine & Hannay, David & Merchant, Nathan & Pilkington, James & Thornton, Sheila & Tollit, Dominic & Vagle, Svein & Veirs, Val & Vergara, Valeria & Wood, Jason & Wright, Brianna & Yurk, Harald. (2017). PROPOSED METRICS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF UNDERWATER NOISE FOR SOUTHERN RESIDENT KILLER WHALES. Coastal Ocean Report Series. 10.25317/CORI20172.
