Orcas off Oregon coast captured in rare, dramatic video footage
The Oregonian: 05/11/2023

On Monday, May 8, whale watchers along the Oregon coast spotted a rare sight: a pod of orcas appearing to hunt prey together in an organized group. According to Craig Hayslip, a faculty research assistant with the Marine Mammal Institute at OSU who witnessed the event, the mother defended the calf throughout the time it was being attacked and long after it was dead.

Mexico search set to find world's most endangered porpoises
The Washington Post: 05/08/2023

MMI Director Lisa T. Ballance and Affiliate Faculty Bob Pitman are part of an international team of scientists attempting to locate the few remaining endangered vaquita porpoises in Mexico's Gulf of California.

Long Isolated Killer Whales Maintain Small Population Spanning Oceans
NOAA Fisheries: 03/30/2023
Type D killer whale

Lisa T. Ballance and Robert Pitman led an international team in 2019 that collected samples from living "type D" killer whales for the first time. The genetic laboratories of NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center are now helping decipher the genetic patterns from the samples. Results just published in the Journal of Heredity indicate that the “type D” killer whales have among the lowest genomic diversity and highest level of inbreeding of any mammalian species.

With fewer salmon to eat, Southern Resident killer whales spend less time in the San Juan Islands
OSU Newsroom: 03/27/2023

As a key food supply declines, the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales, known to frequent the Salish Sea off the coasts of Washington and British Columbia, is spending far less time in that region, a new study shows. MMI Assistant Professor Josh Stewart is the study's lead author.

Blue whale bones nearing final stages of cleaning; OSU plans to assemble them for display
OPB/KLCC: 03/27/2023

The blue whale’s 70-foot-long carcass washed up in Gold Beach, Oregon in 2015. Often whales sink to the ocean floor and are picked apart by predators and scavengers, making the odds of a nearly complete carcass being recovered exceptionally rare. “It’s an exciting opportunity for us and we’re thrilled to make it happen,” [Lisa] Ballance said.

Rare blue whale skeleton heads to Canada for final cleaning and preservation so it can go on display in Newport
OSU Newsroom: 03/23/2023

The skeleton of a rare 70-foot blue whale that washed up on the Oregon coast several years ago will journey to Alberta, Canada, later this week so a team of preservation and restoration specialists can prepare it for public display at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. 

New migration patterns detected in bowhead whales
Alaska's News Source: 03/22/2023

MMI Research Associate Angela Szesciorka and Associate Professor Kate Stafford talk to Alaska News Source about their findings related to changes in bowhead whale migration patterns. [VIDEO]

Oregon State researchers begin to unravel whale entanglement risk factors off Oregon Coast
OSU Newsroom: 03/17/2023

Postdoctoral Scholar Solène Derville is the lead author on a new paper that describes the times of year and locations where whales are at greatest danger of entanglement in fishing gear on the Oregon Coast.

Marine Mammal Reproduction Rests On A Precarious Tipping Point Of Ocean Resources
Daily Guardian: 03/08/2023

“Conceptually it makes sense that an individual would have to gain enough energy to survive and reproduce, but we were able to demonstrate how entwined these are and suggest when survival may be prioritized over reproduction,” said co-first author Keith Hernandez, who worked on the study as a postdoctoral scholar at UCSC and is now at Oregon State University.

How melting Arctic sea ice is affecting the migration patterns of bowhead whales
OPB Think Out Loud: 02/28/2023

Kate Stafford talks to OPB's Think Out Loud about the findings from analyzing 12 years of underwater recordings of bowhead whale songs.

Blue whale foraging and reproduction are related to environmental conditions, study shows
OSU Newsroom: 02/28/2023

A new study of New Zealand blue whales’ vocalizations indicates the whales are present year-round in the South Taranaki Bight and their behavior is influenced by environmental conditions in the region.

Whale skin provides clues to elusive migration habits
Science: 02/27/2023

To conduct the study, Solène Derville, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, and colleagues focused on the whale skin samples scientists occasionally gather to learn about the animal’s sex, genetics, diet, and health.

Visiting professor to study dolphin-teeth jewelry
Otago Daily Times: 02/25/2023

Professor Scott Baker is spending his sabbatical in New Zealand researching the historical practice of making jewelry from the teeth of dolphins.

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are adjusting their migration patterns
OSU Newsroom: 02/22/2023

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are staying north of the Bering Strait more frequently, a shift that could affect the long-term health of the bowhead population and impact the Indigenous communities that rely on the whales, a new study by Oregon State University researchers shows.

Deep-sea mining poses unknown threats to whales
Earth.com: 02/14/2023

MMI postdoctoral scholar Solène Derville was interviewed about a new study on the importance of assessing the potential impacts of deep-sea mining on cetaceans.

Uptick in Oregon whale beachings prompts research and warnings
Jefferson Public Radio: 02/13/2023

Jefferson Public Radio recently talked to MMI Assistant Professor Josh Stewart about whale strandings. To report a dead or distressed marine mammal in Oregon, contact the Stranding Network hotline at 541-270-6830 or stranding@oregonstate.edu, or call NOAA West Coast Region Stranding Hotline at 866-767-6114.

Oregon coast whale beachings part of larger trend as oceans undergo ‘profound changes’
OregonLive: 02/08/2023

Changes in arctic waters may be affecting the gray whales’ food supply, leading them to become malnourished, [Jim] Rice said. Killer whales also prey on them. ... Rice said the whale deaths are concerning, but he pointed out that it’s not completely unusual.

When wild dolphins help humans fish, both benefit
PBS Nova: 02/04/2023

In a study published this week, scientists have zeroed in on just how the fishers and dolphins synchronize their hunts and how both sides benefit in the short and long term. The team, led by marine biologist Mauricio Cantor of Oregon State University, concluded that the situation is one of true mutualism.

Humans and dolphins work together to fish in southern Brazilian city, ecologist says
NPR: 02/01/2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Mauricio Cantor, behavioral ecologist at Oregon State University, about his study on how humans and dolphins work together to fish in a southern Brazilian city.

Fishing in synchrony brings mutual benefits for dolphins and people in Brazil, research shows
OSU Newsroom: 01/30/2023

Mauricio Cantor and colleagues have concluded that a population of dolphins actively coordinates its behavior with humans for the benefit of both.

Pages