Jessica Pate

Research Scientist & US Country Manager

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jessica.pate[@]marinemegafauna.org

Research Interests

Jessica’s research interests focus primarily on the biology, ecology and behavior of imperiled marine species to inform management decisions. While she began her career collecting data on sea turtle populations, she now researches a never-before studied population of manta rays in south Florida. Jessica is interested in understanding the environmental drivers of spatial and temporal distribution, life history traits and anthropogenic impacts on Florida’s manta rays. She utilizes a range of methodologies including underwater photography, aerial surveys, satellite and acoustic telemetry, genetics, and sociological surveys to answer her research questions. A key component of her research is involving local stakeholders in data collection and conservation, as well as raising awareness of marine conservation issues to the general public.

Education

2014 Master of Science, Biology
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
Thesis title: A comparison of body proportions in juvenile sea turtles: How shape may optimize survival in a vulnerable life stage

2007 Bachelor of Science, Environmental Science
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Biography

Originally from eastern North Carolina, Jessica has always had a love of animals and the outdoors. While at UNC-Chapel Hill she majored in Environmental Science, and studied abroad in Mexico and Kenya. These experiences stoked her desire to travel, conduct field work and conserve the natural world. She has lived and worked around the world as a biologist, including studying sea turtles in Costa Rica and Ghana, diving in Honduras and even as a professor of marine biology on a sailboat while crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

In 2016, she started the Florida Manta Project (FMP) with MMF. She first saw manta rays in Florida while working on sea turtle nesting beaches, and was surprised to learn that manta rays there were unstudied. Since the inception of FMP, she has described south Florida as a potential nursery habitat for young manta rays and documented a high frequency of anthropogenic impacts (fishing gear entanglement, vessel strikes) on these mantas.

Jessica enjoys scuba diving, underwater photography, bird watching, hiking, reading and running. Though manta rays are her favorite animal, she also loves looking for tiny nudibranchs and blennies while diving!

Current MMF projects

Jessica is the lead scientist for the Florida Manta Project. She conducts year-round field work on a juvenile manta ray population in south Florida. In addition to field work, she produces lesson plans for school children, publishes scientific papers, designs conservation outreach materials, and is even writing a children’s book about manta rays! In 2021, she will be expanding her research to a seasonal population of adult manta rays in central Florida.