The OSU Marine Mammal Institute integrates research, education, and outreach to advance our knowledge of marine mammals, train the next generation of professionals, and engage with stakeholders to ensure that these animals and their ecosystems are always healthy.
Marine mammal stranding networks provide a first line of detection for marine animal and ocean health concerns. The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network (OMMSN) is based here at the OSU Marine Mammal Institute, managed by Jim Rice. It is a collaborative organization comprising Oregon universities, state and federal agencies, and citizen volunteers that offers continuous surveillance for diseases and causes of death in marine mammals, particularly in areas frequented by the general public.
For an overview of the OMMSN, we invite you to watch the 8-min video shown here. The objectives of the network keep us vigilant about changes in the health and challenges to the welfare of marine mammals along the Oregon coast, providing a unique window into the state of the natural world.
The Whale Habitat, Ecology, and Telemetry Laboratory focuses on studying whale movements and their relationship to their complex and changing environments.
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. Learn what to do if you find a marine mammal ashore.
MMI Associate Professor Daniel Palacios coauthored a paper released this week that evaluates the global threats faced by 126 marine mammal species worldwide and the conservation methods available to address them.
A new paper by MMI Affiliate Rachael Orben and MMI Associate Professor Leigh Torres describes a new method of analyzing encounters between albatross and commercial fishing vessels.
