ECS Conference in Scotland

An amazing week at European Cetacean Society.

Some of our team at Dolphin Watch Alliance – Angela Ziltener, Thalia de Haas, Kirsty Medcalf and Gemmina Veneruso – had a fantastic time reconnecting with friends and colleagues and diving into the latest marine mammal research, alongside 796 people dedicated to marine mammal science in Dundee from the 20.4. - 24.4. (Scotland). With a packed programme of different presentations and workshops, it was an inspiring week.

From health & welfare workshops to hands-on PAMGuard sessions analysing dolphin and porpoise acoustic data, we explored a wide range of topics. We also engaged with frameworks on population consequences of disturbance and multiple stressors – an area we are excited to develop further – and learned about advances in eDNA for non-invasive marine mammal monitoring.

A highlight was Thalia’s poster, which sparked insightful conversations around how tourism pressure may influence dolphin reproductive success, with strong interest from researchers in its future conservation applications.

We are feeling inspired and motivated for the work ahead.