Gray Whales Latest Research, March 3

Marine mammalogist Leigh Torres will reveal results of the latest research into the lives of gray whales in a public lecture Friday evening, March 3, at the Waldport Community Center (265 Hemlock St.).  Doors open at 6 p.m., with the talk at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Torres’ lecture is the opening event of the Sharing the Coast Conference, which continues the next day at Waldport High School, but is free and open to all, and can be attended without a reservation.  The talk, along with the conference, is sponsored by the CoastWatch program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. Leigh Torres is an Assistant Professor in Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, based at the Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory in Newport.  The core of her presentation is “Using Advanced Biotechnology to Expand Our Knowledge of Marine Mammal Behaviors.”  She will also discuss the role of citizen scientists in assisting whale researchers—citizen science is the theme of the Sharing the Coast Conference. Scientists such as Torres are using new research techniques to expand what we know about gray whales and other marine mammals: what they eat and how they forage, for example, as well as how ocean noise—natural and human-caused—affects their behavior and overall health. These research teams are using underwater Go-Pro cameras and aerial drones to closely observe individual whales, and they’re deploying drifting hydrophones to record the variety of noises whales are exposed to. They’re also using advanced biotechnology methods to closely analyze whale feces, revealing volumes of information about what the whales eat and their stress and reproductive hormone levels. As a marine ecologist, Dr. Torres is interested in understanding how marine animals, including marine mammals, seabirds and sharks, use their environment.  Her research focuses on the habitat use, distribution and behavioral patterns of these “marine megafauna “ species in relation to environmental variability, prey availability and human-caused threats such as fisheries, vessel traffic, climate change, and habitat alterations. Much of this work is directed toward improving conservation management of protected or threatened species. By identifying important habitat areas where threatened species are concentrated, management efforts can be more directed and effective. She has conducted studies in a variety of ecosystems across the globe, including estuaries of Florida, near and offshore waters of the United States (including Oregon) and Latin America, pelagic regions of the Southern Ocean, and sub-Antarctic islands and coastal waters of New Zealand. For more information about this event or the Sharing the Coast Conference, contact Fawn Custer, CoastWatch’s volunteer coordinator, at (541) 270-0027, fawn@oregonshores.org.  More information can also be found on the Oregon Shores website, https://oregonshores.org/.