Gorka Sancho
Professor
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography
Ph.D. - Biological Oceanography
Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
B.A. - General Biology
Research Interests
Behavior and ecology of fishes; fisheries conservation; Marine Protected Areas.
Courses Taught
BIOL 335: Biology of Fishes
BIOL 342: Oceanography
BIOL 357: Oceanographic Research
BIOL 454: Marine Resources and Conservation
BIOL 432: Natural History of Spain
BIOL 406: Conservation Biology
Publications
Publications (see all here)
Branham, C.C.*, Frazier, B.S., Strange, J.B.*, Galloway, A., Grubbs, R.D., Portnoy, D.S., Drymon, J.M., Adams, D.H., Wells, R.J.D., Sancho, G. 2022. Diet of the Bonnethead, Sphyrna tiburo, along the northern Gulf of Mexico and southeastern Atlantic Coast of the United States. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 45(2): 257-267. https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2022.45.0257
Sullivan-Stack, J. et al. 2022. A scientific synthesis of marine protected areas in the United States: status and recommendations. Frontiers in Marine Science 9:849927. https://doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.849927
Murren, C.J., Puy, J., Malo, J., Kohler, C. and Sancho, G. 2022. Root variation in common gardens: divergent responses in native and non-native field sites of an annual ruderal Mediterranean plant. International Journal of Plant Sciences 183(1): 18-29. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/717295
Weber, D.N. #, Janech, B.S., Burnett, L.E., Sancho, G. and Frazier, B.S. 2021. Insights into the origin and magnitude of capture and handling-related stress in a coastal elasmobranch, Carcharhinus limbatus. ICES Journal of Marine Sciences 78(3): 910-921. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa223
Weber, D.N.#, Frazier, B.S., Whitney, N.M., Gelsleichter, J. and Sancho, G. 2020. Stress response and post-release mortality of Blacktip Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) captured in shore-based and charter boat-based recreational fisheries. Fisheries Bulletin 118(3): 297-314. https://doi.org/10.7755/FB.118.3.8
Parker, B.W.#, Beckingham, B.A., Ingram, B.*, Ballenger, J.C., Weinstein, J.E. and Sancho, G. 2020. Microplastic and tire wear particle occurrence in fishes from an urban estuary: influence of feeding characteristics on exposure risk. Marine Pollution Bulletin 160: 111539 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111539
Murren, C.J., Alt, C.H.S., Kohler, C. and Sancho, G. 2020. Natural variation on whole plant form in the wild is influenced by multivariate soil nutrient characteristics: natural selection acts on root traits. American Journal of Botany 107(2): 1-10. https://doi:10.1002/ajb2.1420
Brehmer, P., Sancho, G., Trygonis, V., Itano, D., Dalen, J., Fuchs, A. and Faraj, A. 2019. Towards an autonomous pelagic observatory: Experiences from monitoring fish communities around drifting FADs. Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences 35(1): 177-189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-018-0107-9
Sancho, G., Kingsley-Smith, P., Morris, J.P., Toline, A., McDonough, V. and Doty, S. 2018. Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans / miles) feeding ecology in Biscayne National Park, Florida, USA. Aquatic Invasions 40(9): 2243-2361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1705-4
Shaw, A. Frazier, B., Neer, J., Kucklick, J, and Sancho, G. 2016. Trophic ecology of a predatory community in a shallow water high salinity estuary assessed by stable isotope analysis. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 8(1): 46-61.
Ferguson, L.*, Sancho, G., Rutter, M.T. and Murren, C.J. 2016. Root architecture, plant size and soil nutrient variation in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana. Evolutionary Ecology 30(1): 155-171
Deary, A.*, Moret-Ferguson, S., Engels, M., Zettler, E., Jaroslow, G. and Sancho, G. 2015. Influence of Central Pacific Oceanographic conditions on the potential vertical habitat of four tropical tuna species. Pacific Science 69(4): 461-475.
Yetsko, K.* and Sancho, G. 2015. Swimming performance of Fundulus majalis and Fundulus heteroclitus under different salinity regimes. Journal of Fish Biology 86(2): 827–833
Shiffman, D., Frazier, B., Kucklick, J, Able, D, Brandes, J. and Sancho, G. 2014. Feeding ecology of the sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) in South Carolina estuaries revealed through d13C and d15N stable isotope analysis. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 6(1): 56-69
Sancho, G. and Bidwell, D. 2014. Natural history of Spain: teaching students about nature and culture in a foreign country. Journal of Natural History Education and Experience 8: 1-8
Habrun, C.A.* and Sancho, G. 2012. Spawning ascent durations of pelagic spawning reef fishes. Current Zoology 58(1): 92-99
Malone, M.A.*, Buck, K.M.*, Moreno, G. and Sancho, G. 2011. Diet of three large pelagic fishes associated with drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (DFADs) in the Western equatorial Indian Ocean. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 34(2): 59-66
Gaertner, J.C., Taquet, M., Dagorn, L., Mérigot, B., Aumeruddy, R., Sancho, G. and Itano, D. 2008. Assessing the diversity of pelagic fish using visual census data collected around drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs). Marine Ecology Progress Series 366: 175-186
Moreno, G., Dagorn, L., Sancho, G., Garcia, D. and Itano, D.G. 2007. Using local ecological knowledge (LEK) to provide insight on the tuna purse seine fleets of the Indian Ocean useful for management. Aquatic Living Resources 20: 367-376
Taquet, M., Sancho, G., Dagorn, L., Gaertner, J.C., Itano, D., Aumeeruddy, R., Wendling, B. and Peignon, C. 2007. Characterization of fish aggregations associated with drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the Western Indian Ocean through underwater visual census. Aquatic Living Resources 20: 331-341
Taquet, M., Dagorn, L., Gaertner, J.C., Girard, C., Aumeeruddy, R., Sancho, G. and Itano, D. 2007. Behaviour of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) around drifting FADs as observed from automated acoustic receivers. Aquatic Living Resources 20: 323-330
Dagorn, L., Girard, C., Taquet, M., Sancho, G., Itano, D., Aumeeruddy, R., Peignon, C., Moreno, G., Josse, E., Brehmer, P. and Holland, K. 2007. Satellite-linked acoustic receivers to observe behaviour of fish in remote areas. Aquatic Living Resources 20: 307-312 .
Moreno, G., Dagorn, L., Sancho, G. and Itano, D.G. 2007. Fish behaviour from fishers´ knowledge: the case study of tropical tuna around drifting fish aggregating devices (DFADs). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 64: 1517-1528
Mann, D.A. and Sancho, G. 2007. Feeding ecology of the domino damselfish, Dascyllus albisella. Copeia 2007(3): 566-576
Dagorn, L., Holland, K.N., Hallier, J.P., Taquet, M., Moreno, G., Sancho, G., Itano, D.G., Aumeeruddy, R., Girard, C., Million, J. and Fonteneau, A. 2006. Deep diving behaviour observed in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Aquatic Living Resources 19: 55-58
*Undergraduate student