Senior Research Scientist

Population Biology, Ecology and Physiology of Marine Vertebrates

Dr. Brent Stewart joined HSWRI as a field biologist in 1977 and has since conducted studies of the population biology, foraging and physiological ecology, and behavior of a variety of marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles, and sharks. Dr. Stewart’s research expeditions have ranged from Greenland and Iceland in the North Atlantic south to Marion Island in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, in Russia's Lake Baikal, from the Beaufort and Bering Seas south through temperate, tropical and equatorial waters in the North Pacific Ocean, and in the Weddell, Amundsen, and Ross Seas of the Antarctic's Southern Ocean. Dr. Stewart's principal interests in these comparative studies is in discovering and understanding what habitats are important to these various large marine vertebrates, how they navigate and migrate over vast areas to find and use those habitats, how they hunt and capture prey necessary to sustain fasting periods and successfully reproduce, how they interact with each others (populations and species) while sharing habitats and resources, and how they respond to and adjust to short and long term natural and anthropogenic changes in those key habitats. The application of remote sensing and telemetry is a key tool in many of these studies.

In 1999 and 2000 Dr. Stewart served in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science at the United States Department of State as a Science and Diplomacy Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Current Research

The Elephant Seal Success Story

Tracking the Ocean Migrations of the World’s Largest Fish

Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal 

Selected Publications

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Major Research Areas
Population Biology, Ecology and Physiology of Marine Vertebrates

Education
J.D., Law, Boalt Hall School of Law, UC Berkeley Ph.D., Biology, University of California, Los Angeles M.S., Ecology, San Diego State University B.A., Biology, University of California, Los Angeles 

Professional Activities
Secretary, Group of Specialists on Seals, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Resources (SCAR) Scientific Consultant to the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission on Bilateral and Multilateral Treaties National Fellow, The Explorers Club Fellow, The Royal Geographical Society Board Member, San Diego Citizens Review Board on Police Practices

University Affiliations
Adjunct Professor, University of San Diego Research Associate, San Diego State University