Ester Quintana

Ester Quintana, Ph.D., is the lead scientist of the marine megafauna surveys conducted in the offshore waters of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, MA. The research examines the density and abundance of large whales (right, humpback, finback, and minke) in an area proposed for offshore wind energy development. The research also studies other marine species such as sea turtles and sharks. The project involves oceanographic sampling (conducted by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) to assess prey species and oceanographic conditions around right whale aggregations. In addition to this work, Quintana is interested in marine mammal social behavior and bioacoustics. She has studied bottlenose dolphin social structure, associations, resighting patterns, and social communication. She also studies the habitat use, social behavior, and long-distance movements of humpback whales in the tropical breeding ground of Guatemala. Quintana has developed and contributed in the preparation of management plans for manatees. This includes working for the United Nations Environmental Program in the development of the management plan for the West Indian manatee in the Caribbean region.