I am thrilled to be here as the new director of Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. I have been here just a short time, since October 14th, but already two things are crystal clear: the talent here is deep; and the passion is palpable.
The OSU Marine Mammal Institute incorporates the work of academics from engineering, genetics, agriculture, aquatics, ecology, veterinary medicine, biology, and communications.
The Marine Mammal Institute combines the efforts of top researchers from around the world to continue the legacy of discovery and preservation of critical habitats of target species and to understand how those species interact with their environment and human activities.
Marine Mammal Institute
Marine mammals are protected by federal law. It is illegal for unauthorized persons to disturb, handle, or feed them.
Learn more about Stranding Do's and Don'ts.
The Whale Telemetry Group uses satellite-monitored radio tags to determine the distribution and critical habitats of endangered whales.
The Cetacean Conservation and Genomics Laboratory explores the genomes of whales and dolphins to understand the past, assess the present, and conserve the future.
The Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory focuses on the ecology, behavior and conservation of marine megafauna including cetaceans, pinnipeds, seabirds, and sharks.
The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network documents occurrences and investigates the causes of marine mammal strandings in Oregon.
The USFWS has awarded a grant to the nonprofit group Elakha Alliance to launch a feasibility study for possible reintroduction of sea otters to the Oregon coast. A newly published study by Dominique Kone in the Marine Mammal Institute found there is suitable habitat to support around 4,500 resident sea otters. Kone cautioned that wildlife managers would have to consider a range of overlapping human uses.
In January 2019, Dr. Lisa T. Ballance and Dr. Robert Pitman were part of an international team of scientists who launched an expedition from the southern tip of Chile, searching for what could be a new species of killer whale. Watch the video to see their first glimpse of the whales.
