Thank you for joining us today on our client immersion whale watching experience. Today’s trip is just the beginning. If you’ve enjoyed learning about whales and the science behind their conservation, there are lots of ways you can continue making a difference.
Thank you to Dr Katharina Peters and her team at The Marine Vertebrate Ecology Lab (MAVE Lab) for sharing their expertise. The team focuses on the ecology and conservation of marine megafauna – whales, dolphins and seals – across Australian waters and beyond. Their research is grounded in understanding how these iconic species respond to environmental pressures, including fisheries interactions, habitat loss and climate change.
If today’s experience has inspired you, please consider supporting MAVE Lab research. Every donation helps train the next generation of marine scientists and supports research that protects Australia’s whales and dolphins. Whether you’re helping to fuel a research boat, train a student, analyse a sample or launch a new project, your generosity helps better understand and protect the whales and dolphins that call our oceans home.
Why does long-term research matter?
One day on the water gives us a snapshot. Years of research show trends: whether populations are growing or declining, whether animals are shifting where they live, and whether threats are getting worse. This long-term view is especially important for animals that live for decades, because change can happen slowly.
From sighting to solution
1. We observe whales and dolphins in the wild.
2. We collect data: photos, locations, behaviour, ocean conditions.
3. We look for patterns.
4. We share results with managers, government and community.
5. Those results help guide better decisions.
What can a photo tell us?
A single photo can help identify an individual dolphin or whale, track scars from entanglement, estimate body condition, record behaviour, and show where animals spend time.
Not just numbers
Behind every data point is a living animal. A single whale sighting, scar, stranding or behaviour can be powerful — but one observation alone is rarely enough to change policy.
To create real action, researchers need repeated observations, clear patterns and reliable numbers. This evidence shows whether a threat is isolated or widespread, whether it is getting worse, and what kind of response is needed.
That is how individual animal stories become the evidence needed to protect whole populations.
Some of the MAVE Lab research in action work includes:
Predicting whale entanglements
Every year, humpback whales become entangled in fishing gear along Australia’s east coast. We combine whale sightings, ocean conditions and fishing activity to predict when and where entanglements are most likely to occur.
Why it matters: Better predictions can help reduce entanglements while supporting sustainable fishing.
The dolphins of Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is home to a resident population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. By identifying individuals from photographs of their dorsal fins, we can estimate how many dolphins live in the bay, where they spend their time and how the population is changing.
Why it matters: Understanding the population helps managers protect important habitats and plan for future threats.
Forever chemicals in whales
Whales and dolphins can accumulate PFAS—”forever chemicals” found in many everyday products. By analysing samples collected from stranded animals around the world, we can track pollution in our oceans.
Why it matters: Marine mammals act as sentinels, helping us detect pollution that may also affect people.
Following whales across Antarctica
Humpback whales depend on Antarctic krill for food. We use computer models to understand how climate change and fishing may affect whale populations in the future.
Why it matters: This research helps identify which whale populations are most at risk and informs international conservation efforts.
Every stranded whale tells a story
Every year, whales and dolphins strand on Australia’s beaches. By studying where and when these strandings occur, we can learn how marine life is responding to warming oceans and changing habitats.
Why it matters: Strandings can provide early warning signs of environmental change.
How healthy is a whale?
Using drones, photographs and tiny samples from their breath collected safely from wild whales, we can estimate body condition and overall health without harming the animals.
Why it matters: Healthy whales are more likely to survive, reproduce and recover from past threats.
How can you help marine conservation?
What your generosity can achieve
Whether large or small, your generosity helps train the next generation of marine scientists and protects Australia’s extraordinary marine life.
$50
Can purchase essential field supplies, batteries and memory cards that keep our research equipment running.
$100
Can provide laboratory consumables needed to analyse whale and dolphin samples.
$300
Can analyse one whale or dolphin sample for pollutants or stable isotopes.
$500
Can support a full day of whale and dolphin surveys on the water in Australia, helping us collect the data needed to understand and protect marine mammals.
$1,500
Can support a student volunteer during an intensive field season, providing accommodation, meals and the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in marine mammal research.
$3,000
Can enable one of our PhD students to attend an international scientific conference, where they can present their research, learn from world-leading scientists and build collaborations that shape the future of marine conservation.
$5,000
Can support an entire field season for our Sapphire Cetaceans Project, enabling student volunteers to collect critical information on migrating whales while engaging local communities in conservation.
$10,000
Can equip a drone-based whale health program, allowing us to monitor body condition and behaviour safely and non-invasively.
$15,000
Can sequence 50 environmental DNA (eDNA) samples, helping us uncover the hidden biodiversity of our oceans and detect marine mammals from the tiny traces of DNA they leave behind in seawater.
$20,000
Can launch a new pilot research project, generating the evidence needed to compete for major national and international research grants.
$30,000
Can support a full year of student-led monitoring Jervis Bay’s resident dolphin population, providing the long-term data needed to protect one of Australia’s most iconic marine ecosystems.
$40,000
Can support a full season of student-led humpback whale research in Tonga, including fieldwork, boat hire and training that advances whale conservation across the South Pacific.