My previous research has been focused on the spatial and trophic ecology of apex predators in upwelling ecosystems, in particular the Southern sea lion (Otaria flavescens) along the Chilean coast. I worked on the issue of interactions between the sea lion and fisheries, not only on the impacts that the development of this human activity might have on sea lions, but also on the impact that sea lion might have on the fishing sector, particularly with regards to minor-scale fisheries (pesquerias artesanales).

Before my arrival at UCSC, I completed my B.Sc. in Marine Biology and my M.Sc. in Oceanography at the Universidad de Concepcion (Chile). My undergraduate's research focused on the behavioral modification that sea lions display in response to the operation at sea of the commercial purse-seining fishery of jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus). My master's research also approached the interaction with this important fishery taking the previous work a step further, obtaining a spatial description of the interaction at sea using geostatistics, and studying the diet and trophic position of the sea lion using stable isotopes.

For my dissertation I am investigating the foraging behavior of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) and the crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus) along the Western Antarctica Peninsula, two species of contrasting trophic ecology that exploit adjacent ecosystems along the Peninsula.

These two species of seals are important top predators of the Southern Ocean, and as such, they can integrate information about several layers of primary and secondary productivity. Moreover, these two species are part of different trophic pathways of the Southern Ocean. Elephant seals are part of the northern slope and oceanic waters food web, where copepods, mesopelagic fish and squid occupy the mid-trophic levels. Crabeater seals are part of the southern food web, where the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, is considered the dominant species in the seasonal pack ice zone (Kock & Shimadzu 1994). Hence, these two species can be used for describing and monitoring spatial and temporal dynamics across two different trophic webs of the Southern Ocean.

I am particularly interested in the association between oceanographic features and the foraging and searching behavior displayed by these two important top predators of the Southern Ocean. I am also using stable isotopes analysis (SIA) to study the long-term foraging ecology and possible shifts in diet composition and habitat use of both species, as well as to determine the degree of niche overlap or partitioning between them.

Hückstädt LA, CP Rojas and T Antezana. 2007. Stable isotope analysis reveals pelagic foraging by the Southern sea lion in central Chile. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 347: 123-133.

Osman LP, R Hucke-Gete, LA Hückstädt, M Sepúlveda and H. Paves. 2007. Interacción operacional entre otáridos, pesquerías y salmonicultura en ecosistemas marinos de Chile: Un caso que necesita evaluación. Taller de trabajo sobre el impacto de las actividades antropogénicas en mamíferos marinos en el pacifico sudeste, 28-29 de Noviembre (2006), Bogota, Colombia.

Hückstädt LA and T Antezana. 2006. The diet of Otaria flavescens in Chile: what do we know? In: Trites, A., S. Atkinson, D. DeMaster, L. Fritz, T. Gelatt, L. Rea, and K. Wynne (eds.). Sea lions of the world: 83-97. Alaska Sea Grant College Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Hückstädt LA. 2006. Nuevos registros de cetáceos en la VIII Región, Chile (1997 - 1999) [New records of cetaceans for the VIII Region, Chile (1997 to 1999)]. Gayana (Chile), 69(2): 291-299.

Hückstädt LA and MC Krautz. 2004. Interactions between Otaria flavescens and Trachurus symmetricus fishery in Central Chile: a geostatiscal approach. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 282: 285-294.

Hückstädt LA and T Antezana. 2004. Behaviour of Southern sea lions in presence of killer whales during fishing operations in Central Chile. Scientia Marina, 68(2): 295-298.

Hückstädt LA and T Antezana. 2003. Behaviour of the southern sea lion (Otaria flavescens) and consumption of the catch during purse-seining for jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) off central Chile. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 60(5):1003-1011.

Kirkwood R, L Boren, P Shaughnessy, D Szteren, P Mawson, LA Hückstädt, G Hofmeyr, H Oosthuizen, A Schiavini, C Campagna and M Berris. 2003. Pinniped-focused tourism in the Southern Hemisphere: a review of the industry. In: Gales N., Kirkwood R. & Hindell M. (Eds.) Marine mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Management Issues. pp. 257-276. CSIRO Publishing, Australia. 480 pp.

Hückstädt LA and T Antezana. 2001. An observation of parturition in a stranded Kogia breviceps. Marine Mammal Science, 17(2): 362 – 365.