20th Biennial Conference of the Biology of Marine Mammals Part 2

WDC present our work on non-lethal vessel strikes on humpback whales in the southern Gulf of Maine  ~ Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand, 9-13 December

The “biennial,” held every two years, is a gathering of marine mammal scientists from around the world. The theme for this year “Marine Mammal Conservation: Science Making a Difference”, has shown through in the lectures, panel discussions, poster presentations, workshops and short talks over coffee breaks. 

The numbers: this years biennial includes 357 talks and 400 posters in just five days with over 1000 people in attendance from 30 countries!  It is amazing to see so many people come from all over the world with different backgrounds all coming together to present their research and talk about marine mammals. 

I have been lucky enough to attend the conference as a student in collaboration with Whale and Dolphin Conservation to present our work on non-lethal vessel strikes on humpback whales in the southern Gulf of Maine.  Being able to share my research and talk with other marine mammal scientists dealing with the same issues of vessel strikes in other parts of the world has been extremely rewarding.  This conference is so important to the progression of the marine mammal field as it allows so many people with different types of background such as researchers, students, veterinarians, lawyers, and government employees all to come together to collaborate, share our research and discuss how we should be dealing with some of the challenges in the marine mammal field. 

~Alex Hill, WDC Biologist