Marine Mammal Institute

Using drones deployed in the air and GoPros underwater, Oregon State University marine ecologist Leigh Torres recently completed her fourth field season documenting previously unseen behaviors of gray whales – and gathering their poop – off the Oregon coast.

Guest columnist Dr. Caren Braby discusses regulatory efforts to reduce whale entanglements in crab fishing gear, which includes a partnership between ODFW, Oregon Sea Grant, and OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute to gather information about whales in Oregon waters. 

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.

A new study from Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute shows many of the cetaceans once thought to be part of a resident population travel long distances. But during the three-year study, 18 of the 33 whales scientists tracked hung out at Point St. George in California, said Barbara Lagerquist, a senior faculty research assistant with the institute.

Researchers from Mexico and the United States have concluded that a population of fin whales in the rich Gulf of California ecosystem may live there year-round -- an unusual circumstance for a whale species known to migrate across ocean basins. Results of the study are being published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is seeking whale lovers to participate in its annual Whale Watching Spoken Here program. The first of three training sessions is set for Saturday, Dec. 1, in Newport, at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. Training will be delivered by Dr. Bruce Mate, an expert on whales and director of the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute.

Oregon State University scientists have used drone-mounted cameras to capture the more curious antics of gray whales, which includes swimming upside down or snapping their jaws.

There’s a set of massive whale bones resting on the bottom of the bay in Newport, Oregon. Scientists from Oregon State University put them there with a plan for a future display on shore. But they’re having trouble finding the money to retrieve the rare blue whale skeleton from beneath the waves. “Basically, we’re ready to bring it up and start putting it together,” said OSU Marine Mammal Institute Director Bruce Mate.

Dr. Bruce Mate and Dr. Leigh Torres will be among the speakers at the Whale Trail Interpretive Sign Dedication and Community Celebration at Don Davis Park in Newport, Saturday, August 11. The Whale Trail network of viewing sites helps to inspire appreciation and stewardship of whales and the marine environment.