A delight to subject the next generation of marine mammal scientists to some ramblings about my career and research! #UKIRSC2025. Key messages:.- Shit happens.- Value yourself.- Find your tribe.- Choose what makes you happy.- Life plans are over-rated.

“Antarctica is pretty much barren in terms of life. But the oceans are where it comes alive”. Mark Hindell gives the final #smm2024 plenary sharing life lessons from working in the Southern Ocean

We commonly make assumptions about the motivations of others. Scientists assume fishers are driven by wealth, but they are instead often driven by family & community. Applied to NA right whale, mixed stakeholder groups came up with 3 campaigns to avoid entanglement #smm2024.

Timor-Leste is a global cetacean hotspot with major porential for ecotourism. A citizen science program launched in 2016 and shows invaluable info on migration of pygmy blue whales, inc El Nino effects that could impact tourism activities #smm2024.

Australian fur seals have declined -28% in recent years at Seal Rocks. Drone surveys of colonies are processed by citizen scientists via SealSpotter. Show majority (30%) pup mortality happens soon after birth. Code now available via GitHub #smm2024

A very lost Greenland seal appeared in Algeria! #smm2024.

The wonderful Chris Burton sharing trends in his 20yr unfunded citizen science project in Geographe Bay, Western Aus. ~800 blues in recent years. Only place in the world you can stand on shore and watch blue whales swim by! If you have time after #smm2024 swing by and say g’day

Many of us have asked this question at some point!. Dubai is a fast-growing city w high coastal development. Yet little known about marine mammals, even locally. Stakeholder engagement informed citizen science & boat surveys. Confirmed 15 species, hotspots & drivers #smm2024

Fishers & scientists have collaborated for 9yrs to protect marine mammals in Cameroon. Siren app collects sightings data & is used by 80+ fishers daily giving evidence of species occurrence, distribution, seasonality, & threats (eg bycatch). Led to legal protection! #smm2024

Changing negative public attitudes to marine mammals means better connecting them to these animals. In Peru, a citizen science program collected strandings data & developed idea of “saving a life”. In Lima, 3m of 10m citizens participated! Changed connection to ocean ❤️ #smm2024

Connecting marine mammals with communities from past, present & future means revitalising relationships. NZ has no native terrestrial mammals, but has 52 marine mammal species. Minimally-invasive biomolecular techniques can connect Māori w archaeological science #smm2024

“Choosing stakeholders for engagement is like choosing the jury to decide the fate of a species”. Who we invite to the table & how we work with them can make or break conservation. This means biologists need to provide the best possible science & share our enthusiasm #smm2024

Proportion of threatened cetaceans has increased, now 26% esp in coastal or riverine habitats - ie closest to humans. So to conserve species, Barb Taylor argues that we need to integrate social science. This allows us to translate science & change human behaviour #smm2024

Our youngest question-asker of the week: How can we help the whales more?. Nick Gales: We have to work together. No one can do it alone. #smm2024

“Disputes on commercial whaling remain, they are important. But these are now just one part of the IWC - whaling no longer defines the IWC”. - Nick Gales #smm2024

Commercial whaling decimated species around the globe. Now few countries commercially whale - it is unpopular and not economically viable. But Nick Gales argues it doesn’t matter if whaling does resume. IWC has the expertise & protocols to manage whaling & conservation #smm2024

Krista Nicholson gives a moving speech about the importance of family and being inclusive of future generations in our research, our conferences, and our society . #smm2024 @marinemammalogy

Humpback dolphins in China are losing a terrifying amount of habitat to mariculture activities. Satellite imaging showed an increase of 25% mariculture coverage in past 10yrs, potentially forcing dolphins to move into less preferred (higher vessel density) habitat. #SMM2024

As well as automatically detecting whales from satellite imagery, it is also be useful to know which direction they are pointing to study movement patterns #smm2024

Satellite & aerial imagery has shown a diversity of behaviours, but there is inter-observer variability in detectability. AI models can improve detection, but at a computational cost. Need to think carefully about what type of model is needed and be selective #smm2024.