Conservation physiology of marine mammals

Providing science-based management, protection, and recovery

What does this mean? Changes in the environment directly affect individuals, not populations. Therefore, in order to understand or predict how current or future disturbances will affect marine mammal populations, we need to study the effect of these conditions on the health and physiology of individual animals. This can be done through observations in the field, or through controlled experiments in the laboratory. Ultimately, this knowledge can be used to protect and manage species in the wild.

Marine Mammal
Navigation

Understanding how marine mammals travel in the open ocean

To humans, the ocean is a vast, featureless expanse. To navigate at sea we rely on an array of technological tools. Yet marine mammals effortlessly undertake impressive migrations across the oceans. How do they do this?

• What cues and signals do they use for orientation?
• How do they find their home beach or island?
• How do they locate their foraging grounds?
• How will a rapidly changing ocean environment affect these abilities?