Jim Curland

Jim Curland Marine Program Associate

Areas of Expertise: Sea otter conservation, California marine conservation issues, marine biology

Jim advocates for sea otters, other marine species and marine habitat conservation at the federal, state and local levels; lobbies for funding and policy for sea otter recovery efforts; educates schools and communities about sea otter history and conservation; works with sea otter biologists, federal and state wildlife agencies, water quality agencies and others to identify critical research needs; and conducts media interviews and serves as an advisor to sea otter documentaries. In addition, Jim serves as a member on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southwest Alaska Sea Otter Recovery Team. In April 2008, Jim, along with Dr. Jim Estes, world renowned expert on sea otters, Andy Johnson, Manager, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program, were invited to be expert witnesses to testify about sea otters before the Congressional Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and the Oceans.

Prior to joining Defenders of Wildlife, Jim was Science Director for Friends of the Sea Otter. He was also an interpretive guide/docent for the Monterey Bay Aquarium for five years during the mid 1980s, conducted sea otter research for his master’s thesis at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and studied killer whales in Johnstone Strait, British Columbia with orca biologist Jeff Jacobsen in the early 1980s.

Jim Curland holds a B.A. in Animal Behavior from Humboldt State University, Arcata, California and a M.S. in Marine Science, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, California.

Contact Information
Phone: (831) 726-9010
Email: jim.curland@defenders.org