In November 2024, I had the great opportunity to travel all the way from Scotland to Western Australia to attend the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) conference in Perth. The conference is a bi-annual event and probably the largest conference focused on the research of marine mammals bringing together researchers from all around the world focusing on a variety of topics regarding marine mammals. While the theme of the conference was “Culture and Conservation: Fishing for Change” with a focus on marine mammal – human interactions and the therefrom resulting needs for conservation, the program extended far beyond this theme. Designated sessions ranged from health-related topics, genetics, all aspects of ecology to hearing mechanisms, acoustic behaviour and culture within marine mammal societies.
The conference was kicked off with a traditional smoking ceremony, welcoming us to Whadjuk Nyoongar country, since the land on which the conference was held was traditionally owned by the Nyoongar people. The conference organisers put a great deal of effort into highlighting the traditional culture of Australia and the connections between the aboriginal people and the oceans throughout the conference. The initial two plenary speakers of the conference were aboriginal women sharing with us the culture of their tribes in relation to marine mammals, and how they view marine mammals as part of their families and therefore want to see them protected. It was a beautiful way to start the conference and obtain a deeper understanding of the place where the event was held.
As part of the scientific program of the conference, I have been able to give an oral presentation on a chapter of my PhD, looking at different sounds produced by northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus). The northern bottlenose whale is a beaked whale species found in arctic and sub-arctic waters, and occasionally sighted along the Scottish coast. Beaked whales are deep-diving cetaceans that spend very little time at the surface and are found in offshore waters beyond continental shelf edges. They are therefore difficult to study, and a lot of open questions remain on their biology, distribution and behaviour. Because they spend little time at the surface, their behaviour is often referred to as elusive and visual study methods are difficult to employ. However, because beaked whales dive to great depths where light is sparse, they sense their environment through the emission of sound and echolocation, making acoustics a useful tool for studying them.
In my PhD, I am looking at the acoustic behaviour of northern bottlenose whales within the eastern North Atlantic in a collaborative project between the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and the University of Iceland. My research that I presented at the conference specifically looked at differences between feeding associated buzzes and communication sounds termed rasps. By understanding the acoustic differences as well as the context of production of these sounds, they can be identified in larger acoustic datasets to therefrom infer broader animal behaviour and habitat use. Presenting this work at the SMM conference has allowed me to connect with peers conducting similar work on northern bottlenose whales and other beaked whale species, and to foster connections for potential future collaborations.
After the conference, I also had the opportunity to explore part of the Australian west coast, home to a lot of wildlife, beautiful coastline, coral reefs and fascinating landscapes. Attending SMM 2024 was a nice break from my office routine and definitely a highlight of my PhD journey. Listening to inspiring keynote speakers and learning about the many different areas of research conducted in the field of marine mammal science has been a wonderful experience. I am very grateful to the Scottish Arctic Network for their support in form of an Early Career Travel Grant, which enabled me to share my own research at the SMM 2024 conference.
