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How to Power A Walrus

By Marine Mammal Research Unit On March 5, 2021 · Add Comment
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New study shows loss of sea ice will require walruses to swim more and eat more to survive climate change Balzak, one of two walruses that participated in the study at the Vancouver Aquarium to determine how much energy walruses spend swimming and resting in water. Estimating how much food individual animals need, and understanding [...]
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Harbour Seal MMRU

Harbour seals respond differently to pulses of out-migrating coho and Chinook salmon smolts 

On December 14, 2020 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Biologging data from foraging harbour seals shows less impact on outmigrating salmon than expected. A few seals in the study population targetted juvenile coho, and exerted less pressure on chinook—appearing instead to target larger fish preying on juvenile chinook Predation by harbour seals is believed to significantly impact juvenile coho and Chinook salmon as they [...]
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Next BC Marine Mammal Symposium – November 2021

On November 17, 2020 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
2020 B.C. Marine Mammal Symposium – Cancelled We have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 symposium. Plans had been developed to hold a hybrid symposium at the end of the month that would have had some presentations pre-recorded and other live-streamed from BC.  Unfortunately, the increased restrictions on social gatherings announced this week [...]
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SWIMMING WITH THE POD

On September 4, 2020 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
  Sneak peak into the lives of killer whales For the past two weeks, UBC Researchers led by Dr. Andrew Trites have been studying the feeding behaviours of northern resident killer whales. They are using hydroacoustics to assess prey abundance, and are placing suction-cup camera tags onto whales to record what they see and hear, [...]
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Bowhead whales MMRU

Bowhead whales feed year-round in Cumberland Sound, Nunavut

On June 25, 2020 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Satellite telemetry and time-depth recorders are providing new and surprising insights into the secret lives of bowhead whales Bowhead whales traveling along the shore in Cumberland Sound, Nunavut during summer 2016. Image captured by unmanned aerial system (VDOS Global LLC) with support from World Wildlife Fund Canada.  Bowhead Whales live year-round in Arctic and sub-Arctic [...]
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From the Lab –

On March 4, 2020 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
It’s a Drag Wearing a Tag What impacts do tracking tags have on the behavior and swimming costs of marine mammals? Electronic devices affixed to individual animals are invaluable tools for researchers studying the lives of wild marine mammals. These data logging “tags” can record the animal’s behavior, physiology, and physical and auditory environment — [...]
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GO WALRUS GO!

On November 26, 2019 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
The two visiting walruses, Balzak and Lakina Dr. David Rosen, an Assistant Professor at UBC’s Marine Mammal Research Unit, has often contended that walrus should be the poster child for climate change, particularly for sea ice loss in the Arctic. After all, walruses are an “ice-dependent species” that require stable ice to raise their calves. They also [...]
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A Window into the Lives of Resident Killer Whales

On November 4, 2019 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
This summer, a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia, together with the Hakai Institute, set out to determine how fish-eating killer whales find their food, and whether there [...]
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27th Annual BC Marine Mammal Symposium

On September 16, 2019 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Saturday November 23, 2019 27th AnnualB.C. MARINE MAMMAL SYMPOSIUMSaturday, November 23, 2019 – 9:30 am – 5:00 pm UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIAAQUATIC ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH LABORATORYGROUND FLOOR, AERL, 2202 MAIN MALLVANCOUVER, B.C.   CANADA   V6T 1Z4 Registration Fee:  Advanced: $0 (pre-register by Noon on Thursday November 21, 2019)Late: $5 (cash only at the door) Join us for [...]
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Struggle in the Strait

On September 13, 2019 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Is seal predation driving salmon declines in the Strait of Georgia? To many people, the sight of a harbor seal feasting on a salmon is an iconic west coast moment. For thousands of years, harbor seals and Pacific salmon have coexisted in a complex relationship between predator and prey.   Harbor seal Yet some salmon populations [...]
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Do Foraging Strategies Matter?

On March 19, 2019 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Are female northern fur seals finding enough food to help their pups survive? The first few months at sea are a precarious time in the life of a young northern fur seal. After spending its first four months onshore, sustained by its mother’s milk, a juvenile fur seal must carry enough fat reserves to survive [...]
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Mei Sato – Using sound to visualize life below the surface

On September 26, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
by Leslie Smith on September 26, 2018 in News, Science Highlights Mei Sato grew up surrounded by the ocean in Japan. It permeated every aspect of her [...]
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From the Lab

On September 20, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
It’s a Drag Wearing a Tag What impacts do tracking tags have on the behavior and swimming costs of marine mammals? Electronic devices affixed to individual animals are invaluable tools for researchers studying the lives of wild marine mammals. These data logging “tags” can record the animal’s behavior, physiology, and physical and auditory environment — [...]
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26th Annual B.C. MARINE MAMMAL SYMPOSIUM

On September 11, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Saturday November 24, 2018 Join us for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us all. This meeting is open to students, researchers, educators, businesses and others involved with marine mammals. Anyone in one or more of these categories is welcome to attend. 9:30am – 5:00pm  Eventbrite Invitations will be sent out in [...]
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Drawing First Blood

On August 31, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Researchers publish first reference ranges for Steller sea lions Over the past 15 years, a small group of Steller sea lion pups has been raised to adulthood at the Vancouver Aquarium. In an effort to better understand their physiology, researchers and veterinary staff have kept precise records of their nutritional status [...]
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13th LARKIN LECTURE

On August 23, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Climate contributions to hard times in US West Coast salmon fisheries SPEAKER: Nate Mantua NOAA NMFS    Southwest Fisheries Science Center The “warm blob” of 2014-2016 was the latest, and perhaps most dramatic, case of climate extremes that had severe negative impacts on west coast salmon fisheries. U.S. west coast Chinook salmon catches in 2016 were [...]
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Dr. Andrew Trites wins the Timothy R. Parsons Medal

On June 14, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Congratulations to our very own Dr. Andrew Trites, professor in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, who has been awarded the Timothy R. Parsons Medal from Fisheries and Oceans Canada! This award is awarded for distinguished achievement in ocean sciences, leadership through teaching or mentoring, and significant contributions to multidisciplinary facets [...]
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Into the Field

On April 30, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Bowhead rubbing Sometimes the coolest things happen, when you least expect it. Since grade school, we’ve been taught the importance of applying the scientific method while observing and answering questions about the world around us. This means having clear hypotheses to test—and employing rigorous methods to collect, analyze and interpret data. But, what happens when [...]
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Marine Mammal Research Newsletter – March 2018 – Issue 17

On April 23, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Into the Field Bowhead rubbing Sometimes the coolest things happen, when you least expect it. <see full story> From the Lab It’s a drag wearing a tag What impacts do tracking tags have on the behavior and swimming costs of marine mammals?  <see full story> Science [...]
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This Just In

On February 3, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
7 new publications… Molting bowhead whales, northern fur seal diets, killer whale foraging behavior, measuring stroke rates of sea lions and fur seals, and more …
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Science Inreach

On February 3, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Oil painting “Hide and Seek” by Bruce Muir (2017) showing a southern resident killer whale pursuing Chinook salmon. Workshop held on the availability of prey for southern resident killer whales What can be done to make more salmon available to southern resident killer whales? In November 2017, the UBC Marine Mammal Research [...]
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Science Outreach

On February 3, 2018 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
SMM and AMSS Conferences A full house gathered in a hockey rink in eastern Canada as the pinniped scientists took on the cetacean scientists. Poster sessions for the international conference on marine mammals were held at center ice in this hockey arena in Nova Scotia Halifax, Nova Scotia, opened its arms to almost 2,000 marine [...]
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From the Lab

On September 25, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
How fat is that sea lion? Estimating the body condition of Steller sea lions may be as simple as pushing a button Unlike humans, the more body fat a Steller sea lion has, the better off it is. Scientists working to understand the reasons for the decline of Steller sea lions in the wild have [...]
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Fur Seals in Focus

On September 10, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Studying Acceleration and Energetics… in 3-D How many calories did you burn today? If you wear a fitness tracker, the answer is easy. You can see how many steps you took, and estimate how much energy you expended. You can even plan your meals to replace those calories. For scientists studying energetics in wild fur [...]
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25th Annual B.C. MARINE MAMMAL SYMPOSIUM

On September 8, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Watch the Symposium from November 25, 2017: Join us for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us all. This meeting is open to students, researchers, educators, businesses and others involved with marine mammals. Anyone in one or more of these categories is welcome to attend. Our next Symposium will be on November 24, [...]
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Into the Field: Harbor seals prey on salmon smolts

On August 7, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Biologging tags reveal specialist-feeding behaviors by seals that have implications for conservation of salmon Large numbers of juvenile salmon (smolts)–whether from a river or hatchery raised—leave their natal streams each spring to enter the ocean. Harbor seals often gather in river mouths at this time, presumably to take advantage of this predictable food source. However, [...]
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August 2017 – Crunching the Numbers

On August 1, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Crunching the Numbers Stroke Signals: Studying flipper strokes in fur seals gives insights into their energetics Thanks to small sensors in popular new activity tracking devices like the FitBit, people can now answer questions about their daily lives that used to require a great deal of guesswork. How many steps did I walk or run today? [...]
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August 2017 – This Just In

On August 1, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
7 new publications…  
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Science Outreach – August 2017

On August 1, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Science Outreach 21st Annual meeting of the Northwest Student Chapter of Marine Mammalogy Nearly 60 people from BC, Washington and Oregon came to discuss their marine mammal research and latest findings The 21st annual meeting of the Northwest Student Chapter of Marine Mammalogy (NWSSMM) brought university students from Canada and the United States to the [...]
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August 2017 – Off the Bench

On August 1, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Off the Bench Steller sea lions as power generators High school student finds heat given off by Steller sea lions can be used to recharge data loggers Consortium scientists have always believed in the value of outreach. Each year, scientists and staff give lectures to community groups and schools, and accommodate tours of the research [...]
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Marine Mammal Research Newsletter   |  August 2017 (Issue 16)

On August 1, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Into the Field Harbour seals prey on salmon smolts Biologging tags reveal specialist-feeding behaviors by seals that have implications for conservation of salmon <see full story> From the Lab How fat is that sea lion? Estimating the body condition of Steller sea lions may be as simple as pushing a button <Read Full Article →

Steller Research Front and Center

On July 12, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Steller sea lion research at the Vancouver Aquarium is undergoing a major overhaul!   The sea lions at the Aquarium moved this past week into “Steller’s Bay”— a stylized west coast fishing village where visitors can come nose to snout with Steller sea lions and marine biologists. The new exhibit is designed to bring the [...]
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Stroke Signals

On March 29, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Studying flipper strokes in fur seals gives insights into their energetics Thanks to small sensors in popular new activity tracking devices like the FitBit, people can now answer questions about their daily lives that used to require a great deal of guesswork. How many steps did I walk or run today? How many calories did I [...]
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Course Correction

On February 8, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Statistics brings fur seal foraging trips into focus For northern fur seals, a foraging trip in the Bering Sea can span hundreds of miles and last a week or more. This extraordinary journey offers scientists a unique opportunity to track the seals using high-tech devices that measure their location, position, and speed in the water. [...]
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A Window to the Wild

On January 9, 2017 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Open Water Research Station Contributes a Decade of Discoveries This year marks the ten-year anniversary of the Open Water Research Station, a floating laboratory at the center of a ground-breaking scientific collaboration that has significantly advanced understanding of how nutritionally stressed Steller sea lions forage in the wild. To mark this [...]
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On-line Marine Mammal Symposium

On November 25, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
The 24th Annual BC Marine Mammal Symposium was streamed on YouTube Live, Saturday, November 26 2016. About 230 people attended in person, and over, 2,100 people from 26 countries participated on line to hear and discuss short presentations on issues pertaining to killer whales, porpoise, sea lions and other marine mammals. This all-day event was [...]
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FROM THE LAB

On November 9, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Diving Hard at It As with all animals, Steller sea lions must eat enough food to meet their basic needs to ensure survival. When prey is scarce or of low quality, an animal must work harder to find prey or capture enough prey to meet their daily energy requirements. This can be particularly troublesome for [...]
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24th Annual B.C. MARINE MAMMAL SYMPOSIUM

On October 15, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Saturday, November 26, 2016 – 9:30am – 5:00pm UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH LABORATORY GROUND FLOOR, AERL, 2202 MAIN MALL VANCOUVER, B.C. V6T 1Z4 Registration Fee: Advanced: $0 (pre-register by Friday November 21) Late: $5 (cash only at the door) Join us for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us [...]
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ROLLING IN THE DEEP

On August 24, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
New Behaviors Observed in Northern Fur Seals Thanks to the emergence of new technologies in tagging, scientists are able to gain an unprecedented level of insight into the movements of marine mammals in the wild. These data offer an important window into the daily habits of northern fur seals, and provide possible explanations for the [...]
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Analyzing Appetites in Harbor Seals

On July 15, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
New DNA technique offers dietary insights Of all the species that share the North Pacific Ocean with humans, among the most visible are harbor seals. Some 40,000 harbor seals make their home in the Strait of Georgia, near Vancouver, and they prey on the same types of fish we do. Fisheries managers need to balance [...]
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Dietary Dilemma

On May 20, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Which prey offer the greatest energetic return? In the remote reaches of the Bering Sea, the Pribilof Islands were once home to the world’s largest population of northern fur seals. However, the population has been declining for over 4 decades and scientists do not know why. One theory suggests that the types of prey available [...]
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High-Tech Tracking in the Bering Sea

On April 19, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Electronic tags reveal secrets of  foraging fur seals Northern fur seals in the eastern Bering Sea spend most of their lives foraging underwater and breeding on remote islands. To study their behavior, scientists depend on electronic tags to track an individual animal’s movements as it searches for food. In a recent Consortium study, Read Full Article →

Evolution of a Hunter

On February 3, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Do feeding strategies drive resilience? Many thousands of years ago, the ancient ancestors of today’s seals and sea lions moved from their terrestrial homes into the oceans. Over the subsequent epoch, they gradually adapted to their new aquatic environment by altering both their behavior and their physical features. In the process, they developed at least [...]
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Decisions at Depth: Does prey availability drive foraging behavior?

On January 3, 2016 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
In a quiet fjord near the city of Vancouver, a dedicated group of scientists and trainers are making waves in the scientific community. Since 2003, researchers at the Open Water Research Station have studied a small group of trained Steller sea lions in an open ocean environment. It is the first facility in the world [...]
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12th LARKIN LECTURE: What the past tells us about the future of fisheries and oceans research in British Columbia

On October 16, 2015 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Dr. Richard Beamish From the Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, BC Thursday, October 29, 2015 2:00 – 4:00 pm Openhouse: Learn about IOF research from students and researchers 5:00 – 7:00 pm Keynote lecture with reception to follow Ground Floor Theatre, 2202 Main Mall Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries [...]
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A Controversial Catch

On October 3, 2015 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Are Steller sea lion populations affected by commercial fishing? Scientists have proposed a number of possible explanations behind the mysterious decline of Steller sea lions in Western Alaska since the 1970s. One of the more controversial possibilities is that intense commercial fishing has reduced the amount of fish available to Steller sea lions. In ecological [...]
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23rd Annual B.C. MARINE MAMMAL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

On August 30, 2015 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Saturday November 28, 2015 9:30am – 17:30pm Join us for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us all. This meeting is open to students, researchers, educators, businesses and others involved with marine mammals. Anyone in one or more of these categories is welcome to attend. Please register on Eventbrite here or email Read Full Article →

The Science of Stress: A Nutrigenomic Approach

On July 28, 2015 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Feeling stressed? It’s a common complaint, but stress isn’t a uniquely human condition. Marine mammals also experience stress, especially when their environment changes. Changes in the ocean food supply, for example, can cause nutritional stress in Steller sea lions, which can cause a population to decline.   While there is currently no easy way to [...]
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The Long View: A Historical Perspective on Steller Sea Lion Declines

On November 13, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
In 1997, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service classified the Western Alaskan population of Steller sea lions as Endangered. Reacting to concerns about a population crash — some 200,000 sea lions had disappeared without a trace since 1977 — and assuming the culprit was overfishing, federal authorities abruptly halted fishing near sea lion habitats in [...]
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Cool Waters, Warm Bodies

On October 16, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Are young northern fur seals vulnerable to changes in ocean temperature? Each fall, thousands of northern fur seals leave their summer island homes and take to the chilly waters of the Bering Sea to begin their annual winter migration. Most will follow a route that takes them into the North Pacific Ocean, with some traveling [...]
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Is predation by harbor seals on juvenile fish responsible for the poor recovery of salmon?

On September 30, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Into the Field Chinook and coho are two of British Columbia’s most valuable salmon species.  However, their numbers are at an all-time low, especially in the Strait of Georgia. Dramatic declines in salmon abundance began in the 1970s as harbor seal numbers increased, which has led scientists (and fishermen) to suspect that seal predation may [...]
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July 2014 – From the Lab to the Field

On September 17, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Counting salmon smolts as they pass down the throat of a seal one fish at a time Have you ever used a key fob to open a locked door, or driven through a toll booth without stopping because you had an ID card on your windshield?  If so, chances are you were using Radio Frequency [...]
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July 2014 – Science Outreach

On September 17, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Diving into beer and suds — marine mammal style! Beer and biology are well known associates on an individual level, and were recently shown to go especially well together at an institutional level at the University of British Columbia. As part of Alumni Weekend, North Coast Brewing Company hosted a beer-tasting session at [...]
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July 2014 – This Just In

On September 17, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Steller sea lion diving awarded Gold Medal For more than 125 years, one gold medal has been awarded each year to the graduate student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record as a Master’s student completing a thesis. This year, MMRU’s Carling Gerlinskywas chosen to receive the award from among approximately 1,000 Master’s [...]
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Running on Empty

On August 18, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
 Does nutritional status influence diving behavior in Steller sea lions? If you have ever searched for a gas station while your fuel gauge light is on, you might appreciate the daily dilemma of a Steller sea lion that is nutritionally stressed. Before you can fill up your tank, you must use up some of your [...]
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Foraging in Fine-Scale

On January 5, 2014 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
New research details northern fur seal foraging patterns along ocean fronts Each summer, the female northern fur seals on Alaska’s remote Pribilof Islands go hunting. Leaving the safety of the land for days at a time, they must find enough food to give them the energy to continue nursing their newborn pups. If they are [...]
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Calculating the limits of diving

On November 21, 2013 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Open water research provides clues to behavior in wild populations Western Alaska’s declining Steller sea lion populations live in remote and inaccessible parts of the North Pacific Ocean, making them elusive research subjects. As a result, many basic questions about their diet, behavior and physiology remain unanswered. These questions attracted Carling Gerlinsky to the Consortium’s [...]
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On October 28, 2013 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
The status of marine mammal populations is of growing concern to a wide range of individuals. Questions are being asked about the impact of human activities on marine mammals and the effect of marine mammals on fish stocks. These uncertainties may have repercussions on people, marine mammals, and the health of the ecosystem. [slideshow id=1] [...]
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21st Annual B.C. MARINE MAMMAL SYMPOSIUM

On October 11, 2013 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
 Saturday, November 23, 2013 – 9:30am – 5:00pm UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIAAQUATIC ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH LABORATORY GROUND FLOOR, AERL, 2202 MAIN MALL VANCOUVER, B.C.  V6T 1Z4 Registration Fee: 0 Advanced: $0 (pre-register by Nov 15) Late: $5 (cash only at the door) Join us for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us all. [...]
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Predators in the Prey Patch

On July 29, 2013 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
New insights into the complex relationship between fur seals and pollock A multidisciplinary team of scientists tracked the foraging patterns of northern fur seals to understand how they interact with walleye pollock, an important fish stock. What the researchers discovered may have significant implications for how the commercial pollock fishery is managed, and how declining [...]
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Measuring Diet in the Lab: The Pros and Cons of QFASA

On April 16, 2013 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
At the heart of unraveling the precipitous decline of Western Alaska’s Steller sea lions are two key questions: What do they eat? And how much do they need to survive? But determining the diet of an animal that forages in the murky depths of the North Pacific Ocean is no easy feat. Through a process of analyzing [...]
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Eating right – key to survival of whales and dolphins

On March 27, 2013 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
In the marine world, high-energy prey make for high-energy predators. And to survive, these marine predators need to sustain the right kind of high-energy diet. Not just any prey will do, suggests a new study by researchers from the University of British Columbia and University of La Rochelle, in France. Published in the online journal [...]
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Standing Out from the Crowd

On November 15, 2012 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
How does scientific marking and tagging affect marine mammals? For decades, field researchers have applied paints, dyes, brands and telemetry tags to wild animals to track their movements and behaviors in nature. But does tagging or marking a wild animal change its behavior over time? Do marked marine mammals experience pain or suffering that changes [...]
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Predator Puzzle: New evidence for predation as key factor in Steller Sea Lion collapse

On July 30, 2012 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Markus Horning spent the summer of 1998 in the remote Aleutian Islands, conducting research aboard the research ship M/V Tiglax. He spent many late nights pondering the absence of scientific data behind the steep decline of the region’s Steller sea lion populations. “We needed data from the animals that had disappeared,” says Horning, now based [...]
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Meals for Seals: Maximum rates of fish intake in northern fur seals

On April 11, 2012 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Every October in Alaska’s remote Pribilof Islands, thousands of four-month-old northern fur seals take to the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. They don’t return for nearly two years. Exactly how they survive in those first two years remains a mystery, but scientists do know it is a critical period for growth and survival.If a [...]
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What’s in a Whistle?

On March 27, 2012 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
New study examines how transient killer whales communicate first published March 2012 For transient killer whales on the hunt, making the slightest sound can mean the difference between a hard-won meal and an empty stomach. Their marine mammal prey—mostly seals and sea lions—have finely tuned hearing that quickly alerts them to danger. Transient killer whale with [...]
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Genes in a Bottle

On November 30, 2011 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Using DNA analysis to solve a dietary dilemma The mysterious decline of Steller sea lions in Western Alaska presents a complex scientific puzzle with many possible causes. One leading hypothesis suggests that changes in the availability of their key prey causes “nutritional stress” that affects their ability to survive and reproduce. This prompts several important [...]
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Metabolic Mysteries: Researchers explore connection between heart rate and energy expenditure

On September 7, 2011 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Scientists believe the precipitous decline of Western Alaska’s sea lion populations is driven by changes in the availability of their prey. However, relatively little is known about how much food they need to remain healthy, or how much energy they expend in day-to-day activities like swimming and foraging. Two new Consortium studies led by Beth [...]
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Diving for Dinner: The mechanics of foraging and commuting in Steller sea lions

On January 14, 2011 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
As Steller sea lions decline in parts of the North Pacific Ocean, Consortium scientists are working to understand how sea lions can be affected by changes in their ocean environment. Swimming and diving are key activities that consume a good deal of metabolic energy. By measuring the energetic “costs” associated with foraging dives and with [...]
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Portrait of a Predator: Photo study leads to estimate of killer whale population

On November 22, 2010 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
The sleek dorsal fin of a killer whale is an unmistakable sight in any ocean, but to the practiced eye of a marine biologist, a fin is as good as a fingerprint. Clues from the fin’s shape,  the unique pattern of naturally acquired scarring and the pigmentation of the adjacent “saddle patch” help biologists to [...]
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Go Go Gadget on the Go

On November 1, 2010 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
The sea lions and fur seals in the Consortium’s captive research program work with researchers to test hypotheses that explain why their numbers have declined in Alaska.  They also help to develop and test new technologies that can be taken to the field to collect data from their wild counterparts.  The following video report highlights [...]
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Northern fur seals – a Tale of Two Critters

On September 13, 2010 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
A recent experience with young northern fur seals resulted in unexpected insights into the physiology of fur seals, and stronger synergy between researchers and marine mammal trainers. The results represent a breakthrough in the world of conservation and animal care. The experience began when a 5-member team from the University of British Columbia and the [...]
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Go Go Gadget Accelerometer

On June 10, 2010 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
It fits in the palm of your hand, looks straight out of a James Bond film, and promises to help solve a long-standing problem for marine mammal researchers. It’s called an accelerometer, and it’s revolutionizing the way scientists observe feeding behavior in marine mammals. The foraging habits of mammals that feed at sea are notoriously [...]
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Endocrine Explorations

On March 3, 2010 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
To land-dwellers, a sea lion’s life looks fairly uneventful: swim, eat, sleep and reproduce. In fact, a sea lion leads a rather dramatic life. Sea lions and all marine mammals, for that matter live in environments that are continuously changing, particularly with regards to food supply. An animal’s ability to respond to these changes determines [...]
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Laboratory Studies – One More Piece of the Puzzle

On January 18, 2010 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Scientific questions — like whether nutritional stress has led to the decline of Steller sea lion populations — are too large to be answered by a single experiment or study. Rather, scientists carefully examine one particular aspect of the overall hypothesis to test. Their individual results are added to the assemblage of scientific knowledge. However, [...]
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Decisions, Decisions

On November 18, 2009 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
 As the far lesser-known adage goes, “It ain’t easy being marine.” This especially applies to the wild Steller sea lion, which faces harsh environmental conditions, predators galore, and regular periods during which it is forced to go with less food. But the stocky Steller is a survivor. The question for marine researchers [...]
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Scat Science

On September 16, 2009 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
It might not be the most glamorous aspect of a biologist’s work, but the study of fecal matter is an invaluable (if messy) part of reconstructing an animal’s life history. Recently, however, Consortium researchers ushered this age-old research method into the 21st century by integrating DNA technology into the examination of animal scat. The aim [...]
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Seasonal Differences in Biochemical Adaptation to Fasting in Juvenile and Subadult Steller Sea Lions

On August 20, 2009 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
The Fasts of Life Unappealing as it may be to most humans, fasting is a fact of life for Steller sea lions. Females endure long periods without food while nursing, and males fast while defending breeding territory. Even pups and juvenile sea lions must overcome hunger while waiting for their mothers to return from feeding [...]
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Ecopath, Virtual Ecosystems, and the Status of the Gulf of Alaska

On May 11, 2009 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Ecopath was conceived by Dr. Polovina (NOAA) and advanced by Drs. Pauly, Christensen and Walters (UBC Fisheries Centre) — and has become the most widely used approach to analyzing and understanding marine ecosystems. It is considered to be one of the top ten breakthroughs in NOAA’s 200 years of history. Read Full Article →

Putting a Price Tag on Habitat Conservation

On March 3, 2009 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Protecting natural habitats rarely occurs without sparking controversies—usually among those whose livelihoods depend on resources within the protected areas. Conservation can thus come at a significant economic cost. In the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea, restricting fisheries within areas deemed to be critical habitat for Steller sea lions may or may not have resulted [...]
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Summertime Blues

On February 9, 2009 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Does time of year affect recovery from nutritional stress? Winter in the North Pacific Ocean is considered the most difficult time of year for Steller sea lions, largely due to the amount of energy they must spend foraging and keeping warm in rough winter seas. But the summer breeding season has its own unique metabolic [...]
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Reconstructing the Past: Prehistoric data helps to assess modern Pacific cod fishery

On January 20, 2009 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Pacific cod are among the most heavily fished species in the Northern Hemisphere, and once-thriving populations have significantly declined in many parts of the world. In the Gulf of Alaska, the Pacific cod fishery is generally thought to be sustainable, but managers have limited resources and only a few decades of recorded data from which [...]
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Critical Habitat Revisited

On November 24, 2008 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Researchers Develop Predictive Model to Improve Legislation Federal laws that designate so-called Critical Habitat for Steller sea lions have played a key role in driving conservation policy for these marine mammals in Alaska, but the information this designation was based on is now dated. Consortium researchers have used more recent knowledge to better predict the [...]
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Deconstructing the Diet

On July 21, 2008 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
New Model May Help to Quantify Prey Consumption Harbor seals play an important predatory role in the North Pacific Ocean, and the types of fish they prefer to eat are well known. But scientists know little about the relative proportion of those fish in the diet (e.g., how much salmon is eaten compared to herring?). [...]
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Hormone Changes Shed Light on Nutritional Stress

On June 22, 2008 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
  Like most mammals, Steller sea lions require varying amounts of food throughout the year, according to such appetite-influencing factors as age, sex, and the reproductive cycle. Yet the availability of sufficient food in any given season is beyond their control, and a shortage of prey in a time of great energetic need can lead [...]
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Treading Lightly in Breeding Areas

On June 1, 2008 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Scientists Seek to Reduce Disturbance on Rookeries To better understand the diet of wild Steller sea lions populations, Consortium scientists visit haulouts and rookeries to collect fecal (scat) samples, which they then analyze for prey remains. However, scat collection often requires displacing the animals that are onshore, which can be disruptive in breeding areas (rookeries) [...]
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Fast Foraging

On April 22, 2008 By Marine Mammal Research Unit
Scientists Measure Underwater Acceleration in Three Dimensions As part of the ongoing effort to conserve dwindling Steller sea lion populations in the North Pacific Ocean, scientists are working to better understand how much food sea lions require and how they behave when foraging underwater for food. A key element of this research is finding a [...]
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