Title: Modelling the behaviour and distribution of marine species to support their conservation

Quantifying the distribution of animals and understanding their behaviour is fundamental to their conservation. As such, ecologists increasingly rely on statistical models for spatiotemporal data. However, characterizing the distribution and behaviour of marine species is hindered by many formidable challenges. For example, marine species spend most of their life in areas difficult for us to reach (e.g., ocean depths) and many positioning systems (e.g., GPS) are not well suited to the marine environment. I will present statistical methods that can be used to characterize behaviours with movement data, quantify space use with a variety of non-standard datasets, model changes in prey fields, and understand migration. Using species such as killer whales and polar bears, I will demonstrate how these methods can be used to improve our understanding of their ecology and inform management and conservation