Williams con tinues to conduct research on the pathology of oil contamination in sea otters a nd the body condition in declining populations of Steller sea lions. This group collects baseline oceanographic and acoust ical information along the coast of California to determine whether acoustical e vents affect the diving, foraging, and navigation of marine mammals. Initial fie ld work involves running transect lines to determine baseline oceanographic cond itions and biomass estimates and correlations with marine mammal occurrences. Under the direction of Dr. Ron Schusterman, cognitive processes of several p inniped species are under investigation. The goals of the program are focused on pinniped thought, memory, and communication.
Current research involves testing the cognitive abilities of sea lions and seals.
Designed to test the learning and problem-solving capabilities of sea lions and seals, results from these experiments give researchers insight into how thes e animals learn, remember various types of information, and form concepts. Other efforts in Schusterman's lab are centered on investigating pinniped he aring in an effort to assess the effects of human-induced noise on these animals . The ability of pinnipeds to extract relevant acoustic information from backgro und noise is likely to have significant impact on their ability to reproduce suc cessfully, forage, navigate and avoid predators. Researchers observe the acousti c behavior of animals in projects ranging from recording the structure and funct ion of sea lion barks to monitoring underwater sounds produced by harbor seals d uring the breeding season. California sea lio ns, harbor seals, and elephant seals.