Erica Escajeda, Ph.D.

Project Ecologist

Bio
Relevant Experience
Education & Credentials

Bio

Dr. Erica Escajeda is a senior marine ecologist and project ecologist. She has more than a decade of experience participating in marine mammal research, primarily on whales and pinnipeds, in the North Pacific and Alaska. Her doctorate research analyzed acoustic detections of humpback, fin, and gray whales to determine their migration timing through the Bering Strait and identify the environmental covariates that affect their interannual occurrence in the Pacific Arctic. Dr. Escajeda combines at-sea field experience with robust statistical and data analysis skills to assess how environmental and anthropogenic factors affect marine mammal behavior. Dr. Escajeda is a lead marine mammal ecologist for marine energy projects. She participates in hydroacoustic and visual surveys, conducts marine mammal monitoring, analyzes acoustic and visual observational data, and prepares marine mammal assessments and Federal Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act consultations.

Prior to joining Integral Consulting, she was a senior marine mammal ecologist and project manager at H. T. Harvey & Associates.

Relevant Experience

Marine Ecology

Ocean Renewable Power Company American Tidal Energy Project, Alaska — Wrote the environmental analysis component of an Exhibit E for a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Draft Pilot License Application for a tidal energy project. Participated in multiple meetings with relevant state and federal management agencies as well as meetings on adaptive management planning.

Sea Space Analysis for SB 605 Wave and Tidal Energy Resource, California — Conducted a desktop analysis that identified potential areas of conflict or areas that could prove challenging to permit new wave and tidal energy projects along the coast of California, including protected areas (e.g., marine sanctuaries, marine protected areas, Endangered Species Act designated critical habitat), existing infrastructure, and other ocean uses (e.g., fishing, recreation).

Mooring Sensors for Environmental Awareness Environmental Data Memo, California — Prepared an environmental report describing the physiological and morphological characteristics of key marine species that could be at risk of secondary entanglement in support of a project funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and led by the Schatz Energy Research Center at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. The project is developing an innovative monitoring system to detect collisions and entanglements with mooring cables associated with floating offshore wind.

Regional Shoreline Maps of Three Mokus for the State of Hawai’i, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Hawai‘i — Identified, gathered geospatial data for, and mapped shoreline regions and subregions that could be used in a regional shoreline management strategy for the State of Hawai‘i.

Entanglement Monitoring for Floating Offshore Wind, California — Project manager for a CEC-funded project that seeks to characterize marine debris and lost fishing gear along beaches in Humboldt County that could pose secondary entanglement risks if entrained on underwater mooring infrastructure associated with floating offshore wind.

Comprehensive Shared-Mooring Solutions to Minimize the Cost, Risk, and Footprint of Floating Wind Farms, Colorado — Analyzed and compared the environmental impacts of several shared mooring and anchor designs developed by National Laboratory of the Rockies for a one-gigawatt capacity floating offshore wind installation.

Education & Credentials

Highlights

10+ years of experience

Marine mammal ecology

Bioacoustics of marine mammals

Management of complex data sets

Statistical and geospatial (GIS) analyses

Bird monitoring

Education & Credentials

Ph.D., M.S., Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 2016

B.A., Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, 2010

Continuing Education

PADI Open Water Certified diver

Completion of 8-hour U.S. Coast Guard-accepted Water Safety Course

USFWS Marbled Murrelet Monitoring Training

Professional Experience

Senior ecologist 1, H. T. Harvey & Associates, 2023–July 2026

Pre-doctoral instructor and teaching assistant, University of Washington, 2015–2023

Instructor for Ecology and Conservation of Marine Top Predators course, 2021–2022

Teaching assistant for a variety of marine biology and ecology courses, 2015–2023

Research assistant, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 2020–2021

Assistant marine mammal observer, 2017

Data technician, 2013–2019

Lead marine mammal observer, North Pacific Research Board, Arctic Integrated Research Program, 2018

Assistant marine mammal observer, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016

Relevant Experience

Marine Ecology

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