Join us for our last SIO Ecology Seminar of this academic year!!!
“Why are so many whales dying? A bumpy ride ahead for the ocean’s conservation success stories”
Talk Summary: Baleen whales are one of the most remarkable conservation success stories in the oceans. Many populations were hunted to the brink of extinction by commercial whaling fleets in the 20th century. After the cessation of (most) commercial whaling, many populations have recovered to levels at or above their pre-whaling abundance. But in recent years, these conservation successes have been called into question as hundreds of whales wash up dead on coastlines around the world and reproductive rates hit rock bottom. What’s going on? Why are so many whales dying? I’ll discuss my recent work on marine mammal population dynamics and the convergence of successful recoveries, foundational ecological principles of density dependence, natural variability in dynamic ocean environments, and the effects of climate change. Gray whales—one of the most recognizable species on the west coast and an ongoing example of these dynamics—will feature prominently. I’ll share what I think this work means for the future of marine mammal management in the U.S. and globally, and the bumpy ride ahead for scientists and managers as they navigate more frequent mortality events in these iconic species.
Joshua Stewart is our proud SIO alum who conducted his dissertation research on manta and devil rays before adding marine mammals to his research portfolio as a postdoc at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center. He now leads the Ocean Ecology Lab at the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute. His research group is focused on understanding how natural environmental variability, acute human impacts such as fishery bycatch and vessel strikes, and climate change interact to drive the population dynamics and conservation outcomes of threatened species.
Coffee and snacks provided!
Open to the public. Please sign in in the back of the room with ‘public interest’ under Affiliation.
