Bio's...

Scott Kraus

Director of Research/Senior Scientist, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA.

Ph.D., Zoology, University of New Hampshire
M.S., Biology, University of Massachusetts at Boston
B.A., Human Ecology (concentration in Marine Biology), College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME.

Research interests

Reducing bycatch of small cetaceans in fishing gear using acoustic "pingers", conservation issues faced by endangered species and habitats and identifying what animals need to survive in an increasingly urban ocean. He has conducted a continuous research program on North Atlantic right whales since 1980, publishing numerous papers on many aspects of right whale biology and conservation. 

Relevant Experience

Director of Research/Senior Scientist, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA

Member of National Right Whale Recovery Team, National Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Team, and National Large Whale Take Reduction Team

Technical Advisor, Northeastern & Southeastern right whale implementation teams

Adjunct faculty, University of Massachusetts at Boston

Producer of original North Atlantic humpback whale catalog and co-author of the first North Atlantic right whale catalog, research publications which utilize individually distinctive markings on animals to track life history.

Selected Relevant Publications

Knowlton, A.R. and S.D. Kraus. 2001. Mortality and serious injury of northern right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in the western North Atlantic ocean. J. Cetacean Research and Management, Special Issue 2:193-208.

Kraus, S. 1999. The once and future ping: Challenges for the use of acoustic deterrents in fisheries. Mar. Tech. Soc. J. 33(2):90-93.

Baldwin, K.C. and S.D. Kraus. 1999. Marine mammals – gear interactions: Problems, acoustic mitigation strategies, open ocean aquaculture. UJNR Technical Report No. 26.

Katona, S.K., and S.D. Kraus. 1999. Efforts to conserve the North Atlantic right whale. Pp 311-331 In: Twiss, J.R. and R.R. Reeves (eds.), Conservation and Management of Marine Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington. 471 p.

Slay, C.K., and S. D. Kraus. 1998. Right whale tagging in the North Atlantic . Mar. Tech. Soc. Journal 32 (1):102-103.

Kraus , S.D. , A. Read, E. Anderson , K. Baldwin, A, Solow, T. Spradlin, and J. Williamson. 1997. Acoustic alarms reduce porpoise mortality. Nature 388: 525.

Stone, G., S. Kraus, A. Hutt, S. Martin, A. Yoshinaga, and L. Joy. 1997.Reducing By-catch: Can acoustic pingers keep Hector’s dolphins out of fishing nets? Mar. Tech. Soc. J. 31(2):3-7.

Brown, M.W., J.W. Allen, and S.D. Kraus. 1995. The designation of seasonal right whale conservation areas in the waters of Atlantic Canada. pp. 90-98 in: Marine Protected Areas and Sustainable Fisheries. Shackell, N.L. and J.H.M. Willison (eds.) McGill-Queens Press , Canada .

Kraus , S.D. , R.D. Kenney, A.R. Knowlton, and J.N. Ciano. 1993. Endangered right whales of the southwestern North Atlantic . Rept. to Minerals Management Service under Contract No. 14-35-0001-30486. 69 p.

Read, A.J., S.D. Kraus, K.D. Bisack, and D. Palka. 1993. Harbor porpoises and gill nets in the Gulf of Maine . Conservation Biol. 7(1):189-193.

Schaeff, C.M., S.D. Kraus, M.W. Brown, and B.N. White. 1993. Assessment of the population structure of western North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) based on sighting and mtDNA data. Can. J. Zool. 71:339-345.

Kraus , S.D. and M.W. Brown. 1992. A right whale conservation plan for the waters of Atlantic Canada. pp. 79-85 in: Willison et al. (eds.) Science and the management of protected areas: Developments in landscape management and urban planning, Vol. 7. Elsevier, London .

Kraus , S.D. , and R.D. Kenney. 1991. Information on right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in three proposed critical habitats in U.S. waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean . U.S. National Tech. Info. Serv. Publ. PB91-194431  65 p.

Kraus , S.D. 1990. Rates and potential causes of mortality in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Mar. Mamm. Sci. 6(4):278-291.

Kraus , S.D. 1990. Fishery entanglements of marine mammals in the Gulf of Maine, 1975-1990. pp. 107-111 in: Archer, J.H. (ed.). The resources and uses of Stellwagen Bank. Univ. Massachusetts , Boston , MA

Selected Abstracts of Presented Papers

Kraus , S.D. 1997. The potential for acoustic deterrents to mitigate fishery/marine mammal conflicts. Abstract in Proceedings of the European Cetacean Society Conference, March 10-12, Stralsund , Germany

Kraus , S.D. 1996. North Atlantic right whales: Can we stop extinction? Abstract in: Proceedings of the European Cetacean Society Conference, March 11-13, 1996 , Lisbon , Portugal .

Kraus , S.D. , A. Read, E. Anderson , K. Baldwin, A, Solow, T. Spradlin, and J. Williamson.  A field test of the use of acoustic alarms to reduce incidental mortality of harbor porpoises in gillnets.