Kyleigh is a research technician studying the ecology and population dynamics of cetaceans in Hawaiʻi. Her work focuses on species distribution, abundance, and population structure. She recently completed her master’s research on short-finned pilot whales around Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, where she applied spatial capture-recapture methods to long-term photo-identification data. Building on this foundation, she contributes to projects that apply spatial and ecological modeling across multiple cetacean species. By integrating boat-based surveys, individual sighting histories, and spatial modeling, her work supports NOAA stock assessments and broader conservation efforts in Hawaiian waters.
Find Kyleigh on Google Scholar and ORCID:
Kyleigh Fertitta
Kyleigh's Research Aims
Kyleigh’s research focuses on the population ecology and spatial distribution of cetaceans in Hawaiʻi. Using spatial capture-recapture and long-term photo-identification datasets, her work aims to:
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Generate robust estimates of abundance and density for cetacean populations in Hawaiian waters.
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Investigate spatial patterns in distribution and habitat use across species.
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Evaluate how environmental and sampling factors influence detection and ecological inference in spatial models.
Biography
Originally from San Jose, California, Kyleigh grew up visiting Santa Cruz, where she developed a passion for marine conservation. She earned her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Sustainability from California State University, Chico in 2021, and spent her senior year studying at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa through the National Student Exchange program. After relocating to Hawaiʻi, she began an internship with the Marine Mammal Research Program, contributing to projects on Hawaiian monk seal acoustics, spinner dolphin abundance, and bottlenose dolphin demographics. These experiences shaped her path in marine science, leading her to complete an M.S. in Marine Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2025. Her thesis focused on estimating the abundance of short-finned pilot whales near Kauaʻi. She now continues this work by applying spatial capture-recapture and photo-identification approaches to study cetacean population ecology and support conservation efforts in Hawaiian waters.