Marine Mammal Institute

Oregon's Summer Residents (or Are They?)

The gray whales we see on the Oregon coast spend their summers and falls feeding in the Pacific Northwest. Do they stay here year-round? Most don’t. But some do. Sort of...

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The OSU Marine Mammal Institute is a multi-disciplinary facility incorporating the work of academics from engineering, genetics, agriculture, aquatics, ecology, veterinary medicine, biology, and communications.

As the only institute of its kind, 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.

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Marine Mammal Institute

What To Do If You Find a Marine Mammal Ashore

Keep people and dogs away
Observe and report to authorities
- 800-452-7888 (Oregon State Police Tipline)
- 541-270-6830 (OMMSN Stranding Cell Phone)

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.

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Whale Telemetry Group

The Whale Telemetry Group uses satellite-monitored radio tags to determine the distribution and critical habitats of endangered whales.

Cetacean Conservation and Genomics Laboratory

The Cetacean Conservation and Genomics Laboratory explores the genomes of whales and dolphins to understand the past, assess the present, and conserve the future.

Pinniped Ecology Applied Research Laboratory

The Pinniped Ecology Applied Research Laboratory investigates the ecology, behavioral physiology, and conservation biology of pinnipeds.

Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory

The Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory focuses on the ecology, behavior and conservation of marine megafauna including cetaceans, pinnipeds, seabirds, and sharks.

Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network

The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network documents occurrences and investigates the causes of marine mammal strandings in Oregon.

News and Events

How long does a whale feed? New data gives insight into blue and fin whale behavior
OSU Newsroom: 09/11/2019

Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute researchers using electronic tags were able to monitor blue and fin whales off the coast of Southern California over multiple weeks, providing new insight into the feeding behaviors of the two largest whale species. “The information collected with these tags gives us a good description of the scale of whales’ feeding behavior over periods of hours, days and weeks, which is something we’ve not been able to do before,” said Ladd Irvine, a senior faculty research assistant in OSU's Marine Mammal Institute and the study’s lead author.

Modeling predicts blue whales’ foraging behavior, aiding population management efforts
OSU Newsroom: 07/18/2019

To better understand blue whale behavior off the US West Coast, MMI researchers Daniel Palacios, Ladd Irvine, and Bruce Mate, together with a team from NOAA and the University of Maryland, examined the relationship between feeding behavior and ocean conditions using long-term satellite tracking data from 72 tagged whales. They implemented a statistical model that predicted where and when blue whales were most likely to be foraging for food. The new insight gained from the study could aid in the management of the endangered North Pacific blue whale population in light of climate change and whale mortality due to ship strikes.

New Sub-species of Pilot Whale Identified in Pacific Ocean
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: 06/03/2019

MMI Associate Director Scott Baker is co-author on a study that describes new subspecies of short-finned pilot whale using genomic and mitogenomic data collected from individuals throughout the global range of the species. The results support the hypothesis that food-poor regions of the central Pacific Ocean have isolated these populations, leading to evolutionary divergence, despite the absence of physical barriers. The proposal to recognize the subspecies is important new information for managers and conservationists.

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Put a Whale on Your Tail - sample of proposed State of Oregon whale license plate

blue whale fluke with National Geographic branding

Natural History Expeditions - passenger reaching over side of skiff to pet whale on head

A Pattern of Dolphins New York Times Scientist at Work field notes by Scott Baker

Contact Info

Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute
Hatfield Marine Science Center
2030 SE Marine Science Dr
Newport, Oregon 97365
Phone: (541) 867-0202
Fax: (541) 867-0128