Linkedin Youtube Bluesky Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comBluesky
Annual Science MEETINg

Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland

Marine Mammal Forum

Research

Welcome to the MASTS Marine Mammal Forum

This Forum acts as a platform for knowledge exchange, networking and education for marine mammal researchers. It provides a space for dialogue, expertise and experience to the current and next generation of marine researchers. 

The head of a seal sticking out of the water
Get Involved!

News & Events

Featured
36th European Cetacean Society Conference in Scotland, April 2026
Across Forums

Forum Activities

Inaugural Meeting at MASTS Annual Science Meeting 2025

The MASTS ASM is a cross-disciplinary event that brings together the marine science community, with the aim of promoting and communicating research excellence and forging new collaborations. The event includes expert plenary speakers, general science and panel sessions, and e-posters.

Inaugural Meeting of the Marine Mammal Forum

The ASM 2025 saw the inaugural meeting of the new MASTS Marine Mammal Forum. The meeting was a great success, drawing an impressive turnout with lively discussions and engagement from attendees. The group discussed a range of promising activities and collaborations planned for the coming months, ensuring an exciting and impactful start.

A group of people sitting and standing in a meeting room in front of a big screen smiling at the camera
Marine Mammal Special Session

The Forum also hosted a Special Session which drew great attendance and strong interest from participants. The session featured a series of engaging talks that inspired thoughtful discussion and insightful questions. Please find a list of talks below:

  • Kieran Tierney (SUERC) – Peeling Back Growth Layers in Cetacean Teeth to Reconstruct Life Histories Using Isotopes.
  • Faye Moyes (University of St Andrews) – Factors associated with bycatch of marine mammals in United Kingdom static net fisheries
  • Tim Awbery (SAMS) – Mobile species move! Why we need to stop treating mobile animals as static species
  • Grant Ellis (University of St Andrews) – Evidencing a range expansion: Citizen science and dedicated photo-ID provide baseline abundance and movement data on the East Coast of Scotland bottlenose dolphin population in northeast England.
  • Laura Rudd (HiDef Aerial Surveying Limited) – Changing trends in vessel traffic off eastern Scotland and implications for impact assessment on marine mammals
  • Ewan Edwards (Xodus) – Evaluating noise abatement systems in offshore wind construction: balancing acoustic benefits and hidden costs
  • Ally Russell (ERM Ltd) – Harmonising offshore wind and marine conservation: Lessons from indicator species and international noise regulations. 
  • Jessica Montabaranom (University of St- Andrews) – Evaluating the risk of collision of seals swimming within metres of operating tidal turbines
  • Gianlucca Gerich (Ampeak Energy Limited) – Tidal Industry Seal Project: evolving approaches to seal-turbine interactions in Tidal Stream Consenting

Please find more information in the ASM 2025 Programme here.

Forum Resources

Soon to Come!

Forum Objectives

Collaboration and Co-ordination

The Forum is developing a network of marine mammal researchers to facilitate collaboration and coordination of research efforts. The Forum seeks to include and empower marine mammal researchers to contribute to marine mammal science and to provide a space for dialogue and knowledge exchange (information, education, networking) related to the topic of marine mammals.

A group of seals relaxing on the beach
Group of dolphins swimming in the ocean, coastline in the background

Marine Mammal expertise

The Forum will acts as a touch point for external bodies to reach an established network of marine mammal expertise, e.g. for collaborations or advice. It will enable a co-ordinated approach for the delivery of marine science to inform policy in marine mammal conservation and management, for example the collective drafting to responses to consultations and calls for evidence. 

Forum Steering Group

Two women standing in front of a meeting door and pointing to a sign saying Inaugural meeting of the marine mammals forum
Convenors Carol Sparling & Emily Hague at the MASTS ASM 2025
Forum Convenor:
Carol Sparling (University of St Andrews)

Director of the Sea Mammal Research Unit

Interests:

  • Energetics and behaviour of seals
  • Interactions between marine mammals and human activities
  • Providing robust scientific evidence and advice for decision making
Forum Convenor:
Emily Hague (UHI Shetland)

Post-doctoral Marine Mammal Researcher

Interests:

  • Interactions between marine mammals and human activities
  • Community and citizen science collaborative research
  • Long-term monitoring and data collection to support robust decision-making
Katarzyna (Kat) Majewska (SMRU Consulting)

Senior Scientist

Interests:

  • Impacts of offshore and coastal industries and effects on marine mammals
  • Developing mitigation measures to minimise industry-related impacts
  • Monitoring to inform baseline and changes in marine mammal presence in response to industrial activities  
Davina Derous (University of Aberdeen)

Senior Lecturer

Interests:

  • Metabolism and physiological trade offs and life history strategies
  • Omics, molecular ecology and functional assays
  • Comparative physiology across species
  • Marine mammals and response to environmental stressors
Jaz Harker (Scottish Association for Marine Science)

PhD Student

Interests:

  • Cetacean abundance and distribution
  • Anthropogenic impacts to marine mammals
  • Marine renewables
Rebecca von Hellfeld (University of Aberdeen)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Interests:

  • Ecotoxicology and ecosystem sentinels
  • Moving beyond threshold assessment
  • Engaging and effective outreach and public engagement in science
Duncan MacDougall (University of St Andrews)

PhD student 

Interests:

  • Marine Spatial Planning
  • Movement ecology of migratory whales
  • Long-term effects of climate change on the distribution of species
Nikki Taylor (JNCC)

Senior Marine Species Specialist 

Interests:

  • Working at the science/policy interface for marine mammals and turtles.
  • Pressures monitoring and management
  • Abundance and distribution
  • Status assessment
  • Scientific evidence-led advice
  • FAIR data – JCDP lead https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/joint-cetacean-data-programme/
  • UK delegate for OSPAR, ASCOBANS, IWC Scientific Committee
Mònica Arso Civil (SEDD, Marine Directorate, Scottish Government)

Senior Marine Mammal Scientist within the Marine Renewables and Ecology team.

Interests:

  • Marine mammal population dynamics and population monitoring
  • Passive Acoustic Monitoring studies of marine mammals
  • Provision of advice to Government in relation to marine mammal populations, including assessment of impacts, monitoring and conservation of populations, research gaps.
Karen Hall (NatureScot)

Marine Sustainability Manager (marine mammals)

Interests:

  • Conservation and policy development for the protection of marine mammals 
  • Interactions between marine mammals and human activities 
  • Wildlife watching and citizen science
Gill Braulik (University of St Andrews)

Principal Research Fellow and Lecturer
Deputy Chair IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force

Interests:

  • Threatened freshwater and coastal cetaceans in Asia and Africa
  • Red list assessment and identification of important habitats
  • Threatened species conservation networks and action planning
Julie Oswold (University of St Andrews)

Senior Lecturer

Interests:

  • Passive Acoustic Monitoring of marine mammals
  • Developing acoustic classifiers for marine mammal species
  • Quantification and comparison of dolphin whistle repertoires
Stephanie Barnicoat (Haskoning)

Senior Marine Mammal Specialist 

Interest: 

  • Assessing impacts of offshore and coastal industries on marine mammals
  • Design and delivery of marine mammal monitoring programmes
Emma Neave-Webb (OMMRI)

OMMRI Science & Data Officer / IWC Strandings Coordinator

Interests:

  • Cetacean distribution and population
  • Using citizen science data as valid robust scientific data
  • Cetacean strandings response
MASTS Resources

We’re working behind the scenes to bring you a suite of useful, and updateable, resources including: 

  • Find an expert
  • Find facilities & equipment
  • MASTS Publications

 

If you would like to be updated when the resources section is live please let us know.

Twitter Linkedin Youtube