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Jim Curland

Jim Curland Marine Program Associate

Areas of Expertise: Sea otter biology, natural history and conservation, California and national 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, conservation 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 and recovery needs; and conducts media interviews and serves as an advisor on 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, and Andy Johnson, Manager, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program, were invited to be expert witnesses to testify about sea otters and the Southern Sea Otter Recovery & Research Act before the Congressional Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and the Oceans.

Prior to joining Defenders of Wildlife in 2001, 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.  Jim is also a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy.

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