The following is a list (in random order) of whale and marine mammal research groups. For more information, please visit their sites.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is the global body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling.  The IWC currently has 87 member governments from countries all over the world.  All members are signatories to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.  This Convention is the legal framework which established the IWC in 1946.

The Dominica Sperm Whale Project is an innovative and integrative study of the world’s largest toothed whale. Through thousands of hours of observation of sperm whale families; the population of whales in the Caribbean has given us the unique opportunity to know them as individuals within families. Our program is the first to have followed sperm whales families of whales across years. We have followed many calves from birth through weaning and we now know that some families have been using the region for decades. No sperm whale population has been this well characterized and the detailed behavioural histories of these individuals are rare among mammals, particularly in the ocean.

OrcaLab research is land based as a matter of philosophy… research without interference. The approach works well in our area, with its many waterways & relatively small distances. OrcaLab’s location on Hanson Island at Blackney Pass is perfect for reception of radio signals from Johnstone Strait & Blackfish Sound, two of the most important areas used by the whales.

The Whale Research Lab at the University of Victoria has always been shaped by a small nucleus of graduate students, interested faculty, research associates and visitors from a number of places. We have grown from a small field research-based project, begun in the late 1980’s by Dave Duffus, Phil Dearden and Robin Baird to a small field research-based projects. The early studies on whales and whale-watching around Vancouver Island have evolved into a variety of studies of cetaceans (and sirenians) in many different geographical, ecological and social settings. We have had the benefit of a long string of talented and determined students, hardy interns and skilled research assistance that have kept us involved in field sites from Clayoquot Sound, British Columibia to Mekong River, the Andaman sea, to Alaska.

The Marine Education and Research Society (MERS). Our efforts focus on Humpback Whales and Minke Whales off British Columbia’s coast. Priorities are studying entanglement rates and foraging strategies. Additional work included studying Killer Whale foraging success. Education is key to our strategy to reduce risks to marine species. Our work includes the “See a Blow? Go Slow!” campaign to reduce the risk of collision between whales and boaters and How to Save a Whale which educates about Whale entanglement. We  conduct workshops for marine naturalists and provide public presentations to increase engagement and positive action for marine life.