Bio-Telemetry and Behavioral Ecology Lab

One of the biggest threats whales face is being hit by the massive cargo ships constantly crisscrossing our oceans. To find out where these unfortunate collisions keep happening and what we can do to stop it, the best place to go online is BlueCorridors.org. The website has won a 2026 Webby Award in the Best Data Visualization category, which has been called the “Internet’s highest honor.” @thewebbyawards will be presented Monday in NYC, when other winners like Amy Poehler, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Google and “Stranger Things” will be celebrated. UC Santa Cruz Ocean Sciences Professor Ari Friedlaender and his team were central to working with the World Wildlife Fund to make whale migration routes and critical habitats visible and publicly accessible—in ways that support science, policy, and ocean conservation. 🐋 “At its heart, this work is about making the invisible visible and building stronger momentum to protect the key ocean areas that whales, and all of us, depend on,” said Chris Johnson, Global Lead for WWF Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Read more at the link in our bio! 📷 Photos of humpback whales in the Monterey Bay by Logan Pallin, postdoctoral researcher in the Bio-Telemetry & Behavioral Ecology Lab. (NMFS Research Permit No. 26602)

What do Amy Poehler, Google, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Stranger Things, Steven Colbert, and @wwf_whales have in common? We’re all 2026 Webby Award winners! BlueCorridors.org won for Best Data Visualization website. This award recognises the power of collaboration, science and storytelling to make whale migration, ocean risks and solutions visible - and to help drive stronger action for whales and our ocean. Huge thanks to the 60+ scientists, research groups, NGOs, governments and our amazing tech partners @ode.partners who helped make this possible. #BlueCorridors #WebbyAwards #Whales #30x30 #webbys

Our field work focused on risso’s dolphins is going swimmingly! Here are a few highlights from this week as we investigate the role of this unique deep-diver in Monterey Bay Thank you to our collaborators @mosslandingmarinelabs . All research activities conducted under NMFS permit 26602. Last clip taken with 6x zoom 🚁 @george_colaco

Our field team was lucky to encounter a beautiful mom and calf pair on the water this morning 🥲 Days like this remind us of how fortunate we are to work with the planet’s gentle giants Thank you to our collaborators @mosslandingmarinelabs . All research conducted under NMFS permit 26602. Last clip filmed with 6x zoom. 🚁 @george_colaco

Yesterday we kicked off our field season for Risso’s dolphin research in Monterey Bay 🌊🐬 Risso’s are a large dolphin species with blunt faces and unique scarring patterns that can be found in oceans worldwide, though they do not venture into polar regions. They are deep-diving, thought to feed mostly on squid, and only have 2-7 pairs of teeth in their lower jaw (none in the upper jaw!) We are working to better understand this unique species’ presence, foraging ecology, and broad and fine scale movement in this area through collection of photo-ID, UAS (drone) photogrammetry, satellite telemetry, suction-cup tagging, and biopsy tissue sampling data. This work is in collaboration with MBARI @mbari_news , Southall Environmental Associates, and Moss Landing Marine Labs @mosslandingmarinelabs . Follow along this season to hear more about this incredible species and our field team’s adventures! 🛥️🐋🌊 All research has been collected under appropriate permits 26602

(English in the comments) MARCADO SATELITAL DE BALLENAS EN EL PARQUE PROVINCIAL PATAGONIA AZUL • PARTE 3 Para realizar el marcado satelital en ballenas jorobadas y sei utilizamos tecnología de última generación, diseñada específicamente para minimizar el impacto en los animales y maximizar la calidad de los datos obtenidos. En esta campaña utilizamos dos tipos distintos de dispositivos, estos son los transdermicos y LIMPET. Ambos se implantan de forma segura en el animal, transmitiendo información durante el periodo que permanecen colocados. Este procedimiento se realiza desde una embarcación, con equipos especializados, siguiendo protocolos que priorizan el bienestar de cada individuo. Estos dispositivos envían información en tiempo casi real, permitiendo registrar movimientos, patrones de uso del hábitat y comportamiento en mar abierto con una precisión sin precedentes. La combinación entre innovación tecnológica y trabajo científico en campo nos permite acceder a información que antes era imposible de obtener, generando herramientas clave para la toma de decisiones y el diseño de estrategias de conservación más efectivas en el Mar Argentino. En el próximo posteo vamos a compartir los primeros resultados de este trabajo. @ljpallin @fondationprincealbert2 Fotos: @hori_barbieri @so_pluciennik video: @hori_barbieri

Another field season in the books with @friedlaender_lab and @aurora_expeditions . Spending the past 10 days on the Antarctic Peninsula and experiencing its weather, wildlife, and whales up close has been amazing. I can’t wait to be back in January! #wwf #science #conservation

Lunge feeding humpback whale…EPIC! If you look closely you can see the krill jumping out of the whale’s mouth. Footage collected under NMFS research permit No. 27911 by @george_colaco #whale #krill #science #antarctica

🐋 Seeing a whale in the bay might be exciting, but scientists and conservationists take the increased sightings as a very worrying sign. @kron4tv reporter @stephanielintv spoke to UC Santa Cruz's @friedlaender_lab for her special series "Vanishing Giants,” airing this week, about why the trend is actually pretty alarming. In the final episode of the series, @ucsc Professor Ari Friedlaender dives into how science is helping to save these majestic—and now dangerously wayward—marine mammals. 📺 Watch on KRON newscasts between 10am and 10pm tomorrow, Thursday, March 26, or check out the special's article at the link in our bio. __ Photo credit: Photo Darrin Allen / @themarinemammalcenter (NOAA Permit #26532)

Searching for #whales on the Antarctic Peninsula, there is nothing like it... #bluecorridors #research #wwf @wwf_whales

(English below) MARCADO SATELITAL DE BALLENAS EN EL PARQUE PROVINCIAL PATAGONIA AZUL • PARTE 2 Durante 10 días de campaña en el Parque Provincial Patagonia Azul, en conjunto con el @friedlaender_lab de la Universidad de California en Santa Cruz (UCSC), realizamos el marcado satelital de ballenas jorobadas y de ballenas sei. La información que comenzamos a recibir es clave para entender cómo utilizan este sector del mar: por dónde se mueven dentro del parque, cuánto tiempo permanecen en el área y también cuánto tiempo pasan fuera de sus límites. Además, estos datos permitirán analizar cómo se relacionan sus desplazamientos con la actividad pesquera en la región, identificando posibles zonas de superposición y aportando información fundamental para reducir riesgos y mejorar la medidas de conservación para fortalecer la conservación en el Mar Argentino y de la especie. En el siguiente posteo te contamos cómo lo realizamos. ENG SATELLITE TAGGING OF WHALES IN PROVINCIAL PARK PATAGONIA AZUL • PART 2 During a 10-day field campaign in Provincial Park Patagonia Azul, together with the @friedlaender_lab from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), we carried out satellite tagging of humpback whales and sei whales. The data we’re beginning to receive is key to understanding how these whales use this part of the ocean: where they move within the park, how long they remain in the area, and how much time they spend outside its boundaries. In addition, this information will help analyze how their movements overlap with fishing activity in the region, identifying potential areas of interaction and providing essential insights to reduce risks and improve conservation measures—ultimately strengthening the protection of both the species and the Argentine Sea. In the next post, we’ll show you how we did it. @ljpallin @fondationprincealbert2 Video: @hori_barbieri

In Antarctica, nature rules. The largest wilderness on Earth puts everything into perspective. Out here, life moves on polar time, shaped by changing weather, sea ice, iconic wildlife, and epic glaciers. I’m back for another research field season with @friedlaender_lab , @ucsc , @wwf_whales and @aurora_expeditions . In just the first couple of days, we’ve seen an extraordinary number of foraging fin and humpback whales. Documenting these ocean giants is both humbling and inspiring, and a reminder of how important this seascape is to the global ocean and to us. Our team is using satellite tagging, biopsy sampling, drone imagery, and photo identification to build a clearer picture of whale ecology, health, and critical ocean habitats in this rapidly changing marine ecosystem. The Antarctic Peninsula is under pressure. Climate change and industrial krill fishing are stressing the foundation of the food web. For whales that depend on krill-rich waters, the consequences are predicted to be profound. That’s why this work is urgent. By working together, we can help protect whales, the habitats they rely on, and the migratory blue corridors that connect their lives across oceans. #whales #conservation #bluecorridors #science #antarctica All imagery taken under NFMS research permit 27911. Drone shots @george_colaco @wwf_australia @wwf_antarctica