Southern Resident killer whales not getting enough to eat since 2018
The endangered Southern Resident killer whale population isn’t getting enough to eat, and hasn’t been since 2018, a new study has determined.
Fly with care: avoiding disturbance when using drones to study cetaceans
Can drones disturb the animals that we strive to understand?
Whale conservation and recovery: our plans for 2023
Our research helps us better understand their susceptibility to anthropogenic threats and the impact of those threats, and develop practical and effective measures to reduce them.
Belugas, the Sea Canaries: Deciphering a complex communication system
Belugas, nicknamed “sea canaries”, are one of the most loquacious cetacean species, producing an impressive array of sounds for a variety of purposes, such as social communication, group cohesion, maintaining mother-calf contact, navigating, and detecting prey.
My summer with the white whales
“Dot is back!” exclaims Jaclyn from atop our beluga observation tower. We photo-identified this female beluga during our second field day. “That dimple below her dorsal ridge isn’t just a charming beauty mark, it’ll help us re-sight her over the summer…and hopefully next summer too!” – Jaclyn tweeted. Now, only a day later, Dot is…
Investigating individual distinctiveness in the calls of wild belugas
Beluga whales produce a multitude of sounds for a variety of functions. To date, calls used for group cohesion and for mother-calf contact, known as ‘contact calls’, are the best understood 4,6,8,11,13,14. The fact that contact calls sound nothing like the typical chirps and whistles that are common in the beluga vocal repertoire, but instead…
Dr. Valeria Vergara is teaching a course on whale and dolphin culture
Senior Scientist and Co-Director of our Cetacean Conservation Research Program, Dr. Valeria Vergara, is teaching the course, which is part of the SFU’s Continuing Studies Program.
Today kicks off the Year of the Salish Sea
he Year of the Salish Sea initiative will highlight stewards, artists, storytellers, and both in-person and virtual events happening from June 2022-2023 in the Salish Sea ecosystem region.
Raising calves in beluga society
Exploring why belugas care for each other’s offspring.
Mom, can you hear me? Impacts of underwater noise on mother-calf communication in endangered beluga whales
We investigated whether the elevated levels of underwater vessel noise in the estuary could interfere with the ability of beluga mothers and their newborn calves to regain contact after separations.
Meet Lance Barrett-Lennard, Senior Research Scientist and Co-Director of Raincoast’s new Cetacean Research Program
Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard is a renowned cetacean researcher who served as a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada before starting as senior research scientist and director of the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Coastal Ocean Research Institute (Ocean Wise Conservation Association) in 2001. One of his principal current projects is a study of…
Meet Valeria Vergara, co-Director of Raincoast’s new Cetacean Research Program
We posed some questions to Valeria to get to know her better.
