Please join us for an illuminating evening with Dr. Patrick Robinson as he shares some of the research findings from the UC Santa Cruz elephant seal research program.  He will discuss the research methods used to study these animals on their epic migrations and share what he and other researchers have learned about their elusive lives in the deep mesopelagic zone.  In addition to highlighting results from behavioral, physiological, ecological, and oceanographic research, he will share some of the remaining mysteries and future areas of research.

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We are thrilled to host author, Susan Casey for her presentation, "Uncovering the Ocean's Deepest Secrets". In her latest book, The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean, she embedded for seven years with explorers and marine scientists as they endeavored to unravel the deep sea’s many mysteries. 

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We are delighted to host Dr. Tim Markowitz, Cetacean Field Research Coordinator of The Marine Mammal Center, and contributing author in the recently published book, Sex in Cetaceans: Morphology, Behavior, and the Evolution of Sexual Strategies, for what is certain to be a fascinating presentation!

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The ACS San Francisco Bay Chapter is excited to kick off our 2024 speaker series with Dr. Jeff Boehm, Chief External Relations Officer of The Marine Mammal Center. There’s no one better to share the experiences of this iconic organization that has been caring for ill and injured marine mammals for almost fifty years.

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On November 14, 2023, Dr. Kim Holland of the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) presented a fascinating broad-strokes overview of past and current research at the HIMB. His presentation focused on the physiological ecology and behavior of several shark species found in Hawaiian waters.

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ACS San Francisco Bay Chapter had another exciting evening with award-winning wildlife photographer, Jodi Frediani. For this talk, Jodi took us on her fourth trip to the Antarctic Peninsula and her first voyage to South Georgia in October 2022.

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ACS San Francisco Bay Chapter and Jess Morten, Director of the Marine Resource Protection Program at the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF), delved into the efforts to halt or reduce fatal collisions between ships and whales.

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We had a captivating night with ACS' president, marine mammal illustrator, and author, Uko Gorter, as he relates a fascinating story of early human awakening and understanding of gray whales.

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Join us for a fascinating evening with Scot Anderson and Paul Kanive of the California White Shark Project as they share the details of their fascinating research efforts and findings.

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Join us for an evening with award-winning wildlife photographer, Jodi Frediani who introduces us to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located north of the Arctic Circle, not far from the North Pole. This cluster of islands is home to polar bears, walruses, reindeer, and arctic foxes, and provides breeding and nesting grounds for thousands of seabirds. Ice covers more than 60% of the land mass, and the remaining tundra, grass, and moss-covered plains slope up toward perilous, high, ragged cliffs. Towering mountain peaks rise dramatically, surrounded by glaciers of blue and black ice. And the Arctic Ocean bathes them all.

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The Southern Resident killer whales are one of the most studied and well-known endangered species on the planet, yet efforts to save them have been largely unsuccessful. How can research be translated into meaningful policy or action to guide their recovery to reverse the declining trend in the population?

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What if humans and other animals could speak to one another? Author and wildlife filmmaker Tom Mustill reveals how a close encounter with a humpback whale off the coast of California inspired him to spend years exploring the cutting edge of marine biological research with scientists who are combining underwater robots and new advances in artificial intelligence to decode the communications of whales and dolphins and attempt the first-ever two-way communication.

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Salmon is a keystone species, iconic for its importance as nourishing food, inextricable connection to human culture from native peoples to current times, an economic driver, and a critical food source for the marine species including some of the cetaceans we aim to protect and conserve. Please join us to hear from Jon Ambrose, salmonid biologist for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Central Valley Office (CVO) in Sacramento, California, on the efforts to save the species. Jon will share from the front lines some of the ongoing reintroduction efforts as essential actions to conserve and recover these iconic species.

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Gaelin Rosenwaks is a marine scientist, explorer, photographer, filmmaker, and author of the newly published "Sperm Whales: The Gentle Goliaths of the Oceans”. Please join us as Rosenwaks takes us on a journey exploring ocean ecosystems around the globe, culminating with and highlighting her latest project on Sperm Whales. She will share her intimate observations of these fascinating whales, the world’s largest toothed predator.

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In December 2021, through the generous support of individual donors like you, the American Cetacean Society San Francisco Bay Chapter was thrilled to award cetacean research grants to three emerging marine biologists doing critical research in support of our mission: to protect whales, dolphins, porpoises, and their habitats through public education, research grants, and critical conservation actions. These remarkable San Francisco Bay Area graduate students are conducting research that will contribute valuable information toward efforts to understand and reduce anthropogenic threats to Pacific humpback whales, blue whales, beaked whales, and California gray whales. At this event, you’ll hear firsthand from each grant recipient about their research and their findings to date.

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We were honored to host a presentation by Dr. Scott Veirs who summarized Orcasound, a project that began as a cooperative effort to listen for the calls, clicks, and whistles of the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales within the inland marine waters of Washington State. More recently, Orcasound has been building open-source software to make it easier for humans to listen live to the oceans and identify soniferous cetaceans and deleterious noises.

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What do the songs of the rorqual family of baleen whales tell us about their ecology - how they live and interact among themselves and within their environment? In this fascinating presentation, Dr. John Ryan, Senior Research Specialist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, shares what we are learning through studying their songs as well as the process and advancements in techniques of song analysis.

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We were honored to host award-winning wildlife photographer, Jodi Frediani, for her presentation, “Monterey Bay: Bountiful and Biodiverse.” Monterey Bay, nature’s magic kingdom, is a place of wonder, discovery, and beauty. A myriad of marine species from phytoplankton to enormous blue whales use Monterey Bay as their home or critical habitat.

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ACS San Francisco Bay Chapter is delighted to host Preston Brown, Conservation Director of the Salmon Protection And Watershed Network (SPAWN), a program run by Turtle Island Restoration Network. Mr. Brown will provide an overview of SPAWN's work and approach to restoration (where they work and how). He will discuss coho salmon life history, limiting factors, and where their restoration efforts are focused.

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The ACS San Francisco Bay Chapter was delighted to host Scott Benson for a fascinating presentation about leatherback turtles. After six months away, traveling the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) will begin to arrive in the coastal waters of central California next month to gorge on abundant sea nettles. This presentation discusses the biology and ecology of leatherback turtles including information specific to the endangered western Pacific population that utilizes US west coast waters as a foraging region.

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The American Cetacean Society, San Francisco Bay Chapter was honored to host an inspiring presentation by Howard Garrett, founder of Orca Network about his organization’s efforts to return Southern resident killer whale, Tokitae, to her native habitat.

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ACS was delighted to host a captivating presentation by Kathi George, Director of Field Operations and Response at The Marine Mammal Center. In this talk, Kathi provided a deeper look at the Center’s whale response efforts as a leading first responder to whales in distress.

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Naomi Rose is a marine mammal scientist and expert on the impact of cetaceans in captivity. Dr. Rose is co-author of The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity, now in its 5th edition, and works on behalf of marine mammals at the Animal Welfare Institute. In this talk, Dr. Rose discusses the impact of captive conditions on cetacean welfare.

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Join us for an engaging evening with Marc Webber, co-author of Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification by T. A. Jefferson, M. A. Webber, and R. L. Pitman, with illustrations by Uko Gorter. One of our pre-eminent authorities on the world's marine mammals, Mr. Webber will provide a preview of the third edition of this comprehensive resource for marine scientists, teachers, students, naturalists, and anyone interested in learning more about marine mammals.

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In this highly insightful talk, Cotton Rockwood, Senior Marine Ecologist with the California Current Group at Point Blue provides an update on their work to estimate whale mortality in the West Coast exclusive economic zone. He also describes their work focused on National Marine Sanctuaries off San Francisco and the Channel Islands to assess the effectiveness of their ship strike management measures and provides recommendations to save more whales.

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Join us for an inspiring webinar with Ted Cheeseman of Happywhale for an exploration of how the public has contributed to whale science, and what can be learned by following an entire ocean's worth of whales.

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Join us for an exciting presentation by David McGuire, Founder of Shark Stewards. Mr. McGuire will discuss his research and work to save and protect sharks around the world.

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Join ACS San Francisco Bay Chapter and Dr. Frances Robertson for a fascinating overview of a remarkable study of minke whales in the Northeast Pacific, and the latest findings on long-term individual presence.

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Join us for a captivating evening with Dr. Gretchen Coffman to explore the importance of mangroves to the health of ocean ecosystems.

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Join us for an engaging evening with Dr. Tim Markowitz, Field Research Coordinator at The Marine Mammal Center, as he shares his experience as Field Research Coordinator and provides the latest findings of cetacean activity in San Francisco Bay: what the data tells us, implications, challenges, and what we might expect in the future.

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