PhD Students -- Rhema Bjorkland 
DUML, Boathouse
135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Beaufort, NC 28516
Phone: (252) 504-7692
Fax: (252) 504-7648
E-mail: rhema.bjorkland@duke.edu
Research Interests:
- Fisheries ecology
- Sea turtle population ecology
Education:
- M.Sc., Conservation Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Bio: I joined the Ph.D. program here at Duke University after a career in zoos and wildlife conservation in my native Jamaica. My research has focused on the conservation ecology of Caribbean reptiles in general and West Indian iguanas (Cyclura spp.) and sea turtle in particular. My doctoral research under Dr. Larry Crowder examines the bycatch in fisheries of sea turtles, marine mammals and seabirds in the wider Caribbean. This research is supported by the Duke Center for Marine Conservation and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean studies. I hope my research will develop methods and strategies to assess bycatch in data poor and geographically diverse regions such as Caribbean.
Publications:
- Crowder, L.B., E.L. Hazen, N. Avissar, R. Bjorkland, K. Latanich, and M. Ogburn. In press. The impacts of fisherires on marine ecosystems and the transition to ecosystem-based management. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics.
- Sims, M., R. Bjorkland, P. Mason and L. Crowder. In press. Statistical power and sea turtle nesting beach surveys. How long and when? Biological Conservation.
- Stamatis Z., R. Bjorkland, R.H. Bjorkland, Y. Chatzinikolaou, S. Giakoumi, A.N. Economou andP. Dimopoulos. In review. Rapid visual assessment protocols formonitoring in riparian zones.
- Richardson, J.I.R., D.B. Hall, R. Bjorkland, P.A. Mason, Y. Cai, K.M. Andrews and R. Bell. 2006 Eighteen years of saturation tagging data reveal a significant increase in nesting hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) on Long Island, Antigua. Animal Conservation 9 (3): 302-307.
Hobbies: Hiking with my family, reading and natural history.