Marine mammals play a key role in helping to ensure balance in the marine ecosystem, which is vital to life on Earth. Yet they face an array of threats from human activities that endanger their survival. The researchers at the Marine Mammal Research Unit (MMRU) lead studies around the world to ultimately address conservation challenges.
One of the MMRU’s many current research projects looks specifically at Southern Resident killer whales, who face many threats ranging from entanglements and ship strikes to loss of habitat and reduced prey availability. As a group of mammals with a small population of about 75, these whales have been designated endangered in Canada. Your support will help researchers at the MMRU gain a better understanding of this population’s salmon-only consumption requirements, which may inform fisheries management decision and bring insight to concerns of fisheries competition between humans and killer whales.
Integrated within the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, the MMRU works with other departments and institutions to provide independent research and advice on matters related to marine mammals. Their research consists of four components:
- Field studies: Finding ways to save seals, sea lions and whales from extinction by contrasting declining populations with healthy populations
- Captive studies: Enabling the development and testing of new techniques and technologies for studying marine mammals in the wild to collect information such as physiological data and nutritional requirements
- Developing new techniques: Developing new measurement and tagging techniques to process biological samples, analyze data and collect data remotely from marine mammals
- Interdisciplinary studies: Collaborating with experts from different fields of study to analyze historic data sets, construct mathematical models and undertake novel laboratory analyses.
Your gift will help the MMRU conduct this critical marine conservation research.
