Presentation: How We Save Whales from Space

By srschram|April 20, 2016|Research, Whales|

Celebrate Earth Day by learning about whales!

The Whale TrailMate-Poster-R-196x300 presents Oregon State University’s Bruce Mate, a leader in the development of satellite-monitored radio telemetry, speaking about tracking critically endangered marine mammals. His work has led to the discovery of previously unknown migration routes and seasonal distributions (wintering and summering areas), as well as descriptions of diving behavior to better understand feeding effort.

“How We Save Whales from Space”
Presentation by Bruce Mate
When: Thursday April 21, 7 PM – 8:30
–Doors open 6:15
Where: Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave SW, Seattle WA
Cost: $10, $5 Kids under 12
Advance tickets: brownpapertickets.com

Bruce will demonstrate how his teams use satellite-monitored radio tags to identify critical habitats and migration routes of endangered whales to protect them. His talk will focus on western and ENP gray whales, right whales, and contemporary issues for blue whales during the last few years of warm water as examples.

Bruce Mate is the Director and Endowed Chair of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, and founder of Oregon’s Whale Watching Spoken Here program.

Bruce’s talk is hosted by The Whale Trail, and co-sponsored by Seal Sitters and the American Cetacean Society Puget Sound Chapter.

“How We Save Whales from Space”
Presentation by Bruce Mate
When: Thursday April 21, 7 PM – 8:30
–Doors open 6:15
Where: Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave SW, Seattle WA
Cost: $10, $5 Kids under 12
Advance tickets: brownpapertickets.com

About the Speaker

Bruce Mate is a leader in the development of satellite-monitored radio telemetry for marine mammals. Using this technique, he has tagged and tracked manatees, pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, white-sided dolphins, gray whales, right whales, bowhead whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, fin whales and blue whales. This work has led to the discovery of previously unknown migration routes and seasonal distributions (wintering and summering areas), as well as descriptions of diving behavior to better understand feeding effort.

His research primarily focuses on endangered whale species whose distributions, movements, and critical habitats (for feeding, breeding, and migration) are unknown for much of the year. Decision makers use this valuable information to manage human activities that may jeopardize the recovery of endangered whale populations, such as moving shipping lanes for North Atlantic right whales.

In 2010 and 2011, Bruce Mate’s team used satellite telemetry to track three critically endangered western gray whales from their feeding grounds in Russia to join the eastern Pacific gray whale migration to Baja California. The findings shed new light on the interactions of these populations, and have profound implications for their long-term management and conservation.

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