Can Emerging Tech Help Protect The North Atlantic Right Whale? NYT quotes MGEL on the lab’s efforts to integrate new North Atlantic right whale detection methods into forecasts. There is promise, but practical application will take years, while current regulations are in doubt. shorturl.at/PzvOw

Could New Tech Help Save Some Very Rare Whales?

nytimes.com

Working with colleagues at U Queensland, NOAA, CSIRO and others, we compiled the largest dataset of green turtle movement and the most comprehensive global model of their migratory connectivity. lnkd.in/e_r6YYiw #bbnj #migratoryspecies #biodiversity #marineconservation

MGEL's Tina Yack has a new publication on #NorthAtlanticrightwhale foraging in Cape Cod Bay, suggesting that elevated ambient noise may influence how whales exploit prey patches while foraging. doi.org/10.3354/esr0... #MarineMammals #PassiveAcousticMonitoring #ConservationScience #Ecology

Two recent MGEL papers on cetacean distribution: how dolphin and porpoise movement is changing on the US East Coast with climate shifts (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...) and baleen whale abundance in European areas (www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...) #cetacean #climate

Models Incorporating Non‐Stationarity Improve Detection of Climate‐Driven Range Shifts in Odontocetes

Aim Climate change is causing distributional shifts in many species globally. identifying and anticipating these shifts is critical to understanding ecosystem impacts and implementing successful man...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Data product updates just released on the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal: portal.midatlanticocean.org/news/updated...

MGEL alum Gabrielle Carmine, Ph.D. evaluates industrial #fisheries management organizations, and how they are falling short achieving what is empirically documented as possible for sustainability. #highseastreaty #bbnj oceanographicmagazine.com/news/global-...

Global fisheries bodies 'falling short' ahead of High Seas Treaty - Oceanographic

New analysis finds global high-seas fisheries management bodies underperforming as the UN prepares to enforce its landmark High Seas Treaty.

oceanographicmagazine.com

GOBI's has a new Coordinator! After 13 years leading GOBI’s efforts, David Johnson is handing over the reins to Dominic Pattinson, who joins us fresh from the OSPAR Commission. We are thrilled to have him on board and look forward to an exciting new chapter in GOBI's adventures. Welcome, Dominic!

Explore the Global Map of Preferential Access Areas (PAAs) for Small-Scale Fisheries on Global Fishing Watch’s Map🌍🐟 globalfishingwatch.org/insights/ask...

Ask Global Fishing Watch: Preferential access areas

How will a new reference layer on the Global Fishing Watch platform help users monitor activity in preferential access areas?

globalfishingwatch.org

🔍 Ask Global Fishing Watch: Our new Preferential Access Area layer helps monitor activity in coastal waters where small-scale fishers have priority access. Developed with @@marineuas.bsky.social @duke-university.bsky.social, it supports transparency and sustainable fishing 🌊 https://bit.ly/47mp7F3

🌊 What is an EBSA—and Why Does It Matter? MGEL researchers co-authored a global synthesis of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) analyzing 338 EBSAs described across 15 regional workshops—covering 75% of the global ocean www.nature.com/articles/s44...

What is an ecologically or biologically significant area? - npj Ocean Sustainability

npj Ocean Sustainability - What is an ecologically or biologically significant area?

nature.com

📍New Modeling Reveals Right Whale Communication Patterns How do North Atlantic right whales use sound to communicate? A new study introduces a framework to model upcalls—using a multivariate Hawkes process to separate contact calls from response (counter) calls. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Analyzing Whale Calling through Hawkes Process Modeling

Sound is assumed to be the primary modality of communication among marine mammal species. Analyzing acoustic recordings helps to understand the function of the acoustic signals as well as the possi...

tandfonline.com

📍 Mapping Wildlife in U.S. Offshore Wind Areas (OSW) MGEL-led research presents first monthly maps of 84 marine species across 29 U.S. Atlantic OSW lease areas+10 km buffer—providing a baseline to identify where and when wildlife overlaps with OSW development. 📖 www.frontiersin.org/articles/10....

Frontiers | Expected occurrence of wildlife in US Atlantic offshore wind areas

IntroductionOffshore wind energy has entered a pivotal phase of development for the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), a region that supports criti...

frontiersin.org

Huge shoutout to @anacanadas.bsky.social and the MGEL team for this ambitious effort! A massive collaborative dataset, rigorous modeling & timely insight into Mediterranean cetaceans—especially sperm whales. Incredible work presented at #ECSconference2025 🐋🧪 #MarineConservation #MGEL #OceanScience

Luke Rendell@lrendell.bsky.social · last yr.

Super complex but important work by @anacanadas.bsky.social who modelled Mediterranean cetacean abundance using multiple data sources - estimates of total sperm whale abundance had no upper ci above 5.5k supporting recent 'Endangered' IUCN listing doi.org/10.2305/IUCN... #ECSconference2025 🧪🐋🦑

Post 1: 🌊 MGEL at the 36th European Cetacean Society Conference 🐬 Ana Maria Cañadas Carbó presented MGEL’s work in the Azores (May 2025) as part of ECS’s “Navigating Waters of Change” theme — spotlighting critical marine science in uncertain times. #ECS2025 #MarineConservation #Cetaceans

🧭 From Migration Maps to Policy Impact This global synthesis of marine megafauna movement isn’t just academic—it’s a tool for action. From BBNJ to 30x30, this work supports science-based decision-making across ocean governance. #MarinePolicy #ScienceToAction #BBNJ

The Ocean Biodiversity Information System is turning 25. Amazingly, our lab has been involved with the project for a quarter century. How'd that happen? Congratulations to "Big OBIS" from OBIS-SEAMAP. obis.org/2025/05/21/o...

This study powers the MiCO platform—an open-access system showing how marine megafauna migrate across EEZs and basins. 📍 Use it to visualize species-specific networks 📊 Summarize links between sites & states 🌐 mico.eco

Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab@duke-mgel.bsky.social · last yr.

🌊Mapping the Highways of the Sea🌍 New study featuring contributions from MGEL + global partners presents the first cross-taxa global map of marine megafauna migration. Whales, turtles, seabirds & fish connect ocean regions—now, we can map those links. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🌊Mapping the Highways of the Sea🌍 New study featuring contributions from MGEL + global partners presents the first cross-taxa global map of marine megafauna migration. Whales, turtles, seabirds & fish connect ocean regions—now, we can map those links. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Marine megavertebrate migrations connect the global ocean - Nature Communications

Animal migrations are extensive and crucial for ecosystem health but are in decline. This study identifies 1,787 sites and links among them for 109 marine species, highlighting the need for internatio...

nature.com

📍 New maps show dramatic shifts in North Atlantic right whale distribution (2003–2019) 🐋 Built from MGEL’s monthly models, these maps are now live on the MARCO & Northeast Ocean Data Portals—offering fine-scale insights for ocean planning. 🔗 portal.midatlanticocean.org #SpatialEcology

In March, GOBI and the IUCN High Seas Specialist Group co-hosted a 3-day workshop at Duke University, uniting 30+ global experts to advance ecologically representative ABMTs for the high seas and support #BBNJ implementation. 📚 Learn more: gobi.org/newsletter/

MGEL collaborated in a NOAA-led study that mapped vessel strike risk for North Atlantic right whales using updated whale behavior, vessel data spatial modeling. It helped inform the Biden Administration’s proposal for seasonal vessel speed zones to protect species. Link: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Vessel strike encounter risk model informs mortality risk for endangered North Atlantic right whales along the United States east coast - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Vessel strike encounter risk model informs mortality risk for endangered North Atlantic right whales along the United States east coast

doi.org

MGEL researchers co-authored the first global assessment of Preferential Access Areas—a critical but overlooked spatial tool to secure ocean space for small-scale fisheries 📖 Read the study: www.nature.com/articles/s44... #SmallScaleFisheries #OceanGovernance #BlueEconomy

A global assessment of preferential access areas for small-scale fisheries - npj Ocean Sustainability

npj Ocean Sustainability - A global assessment of preferential access areas for small-scale fisheries

nature.com

Big thanks to our participants at last week's joint GOBI-IUCN HSSG workshop on 'Building ecologically representative and well-connected High Seas ABMT networks' - 3 days of intense discussions, scientific debate and enthusiastic brainstorming. Read all about it here 👉 tinyurl.com/yczxadkw

Scientists from MGEL, with 20+ partners, created the most comprehensive marine mammal density model for the Northeastern Atlantic These insights help researchers & decision-makers protect key habitats & assess human impact. Report Link Below! ⬇️ seamap.env.duke.edu/seamap-model... #MarineMammals

Scientists from MGEL, with 20+ partners, created the most detailed marine mammal density models for the Mediterranean & Black Seas! 🌊🐬 These high-res models help researchers & decision-makers understand where species are most vulnerable Report Link below! ⬇️ seamap.env.duke.edu/models/Duke/...

Hey ocean scientists who want to put your data into #OBIS but say you don't have the time to figure out Darwin Core and reformat all of your data! Uh, I just tried this, and ChatGPT perfectly formatted a 15 year old data set of mine. Literally just copied and pasted a spreadsheet.