The CCGL is committed to a greater understanding of the molecular ecology and systematics of whales, dolphins and porpoises around the world. Our work on large whales is pursuing three inter-related themes:
To improve our understanding of the impact of hunting on the abundance of whales and the ecological role of whales before human exploitation, we are working to improve population dynamic models by including genetic information on long-term effective population sizes before exploitation and minimum population size during exploitation.
To assess the current status of great whale populations, the CCGL is involved in three large-scale, collaborative studies: the Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks (SPLASH) project in the North Pacific; the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium's assessment of the population structure and migratory interchange of humpback whales in the South Pacific; and a worldwide study of genetic diversity and population structure of sperm whales through collaboration with the Ocean Alliance.
To conserve the future of whales and dolphins, we have continued surveys of ‘whale-meat' markets in Japan and the Republic of (South) Korea. The work is part of a long-term study of trade in protected whales and dolphins using a portable PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) laboratory to identify the species origins of the products.
The CCGL contributes to policy on the conservation of cetaceans through participation in the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the Cetacean Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Dr. Emma Carroll will be traveling to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands to try to answer one of the big whale mysteries: where do New Zealand southern right whales go when they leave the sub-Antarctic, and which route do they take to get there? Dr. Carroll was a PhD student under Professor Scott Baker. Her research builds on the long-term population study of New Zealand right whales initiated by Prof. Baker at the University of Auckland.
In an interview for the American Genetic Association blog, Professor Scott Baker describes how genetic studies can reveal migratory culture of of right whales.
With support from The American Genetic Association, a workshop on marine mammal eDNA was held at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Spain, in December 2019. Professor Scott Baker provided examples of successful application of eDNA approaches to detect killer whales.
Scott Baker is a coauthor on a new publication that shares results from February's British Antarctic Survey expedition to South Georgia. Using a new genetic tool, the team discovered that most of the whales visiting South Georgia were calved around South America.
MMI Associate Director Scott Baker was a member of the scientific team documenting the return of great whales to the former whaling center of South Georgia Island.
Advances in DNA technology and understanding of molecular biology may help fill an important knowledge gap about the critically endangered and declining Cook Inlet beluga population. Dr. Ellie Bors and a team of researchers began working to find out how to use epigenetics to date Cook Inlet belugas in 2018, while she was a post-doctoral scholar at the OSU Marine Mammal Institute in Dr. Scott Baker's Cetacean Conservation and Genomics Laboratory.
Marine Mammal Institute
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