Author: Sarah Elizabeth Perryman

Aleah has received the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories' WAVE Scholarship and the Myers Award from the Dr. Earl H. Myers and Ethel M. Myers Trust. These awards will help support her work investigating the seasonal variation of southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) raft size, distribution, and abundance in Elkhorn Slough.

Jess has received the Myers Award from the Dr. Earl H. Myers and Ethel M. Myers Trust and the First Generation Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Scholarship. These awards will help support her work assessing the long-term decadal and short-term seasonal variation in Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) diet in Elkhorn Slough, Monterey County.

Sarah has received the Izzy Szczepaniak Cetacean Research Grant from the American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter, the JEDI Scholarship from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the Kenneth Coale Graduate Scholar Award from the California State University Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology, and the John E. Heyning Research Award from the American Cetacean Society - Los Angeles Chapter. These awards will help support her work investigating the seasonal variation in Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) diet and foraging ecology in Monterey Bay using stable isotope analysis.

Congratulations to VEL student Sarah Perryman for advancing to candidacy!

Sarah’s thesis investigates the foraging ecology of Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) in the California Current. She uses stable isotope analysis of biopsy samples to characterize variation in diet across seasons and sexes. By linking dolphin isotope values to regional prey and seasonal context, she aims to understand how foraging patterns shift in response to ecosystem variability. This work will provide new insight into the ecological role of Risso’s dolphins and contribute to broader efforts to monitor and manage dynamic marine systems in the California Current.