| Society for Marine Mammalogy | |
| Key People: | President: Simon Goldsworthy President-Elect: Daniel Palacios Immediate Past President: Charles Littnan Secretary: Jeremy Kiszka Treasurer: Dee Allen |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Publication: | Marine Mammal Science |
| Homepage: | www.marinemammalscience.org |
The Society for Marine Mammalogy was founded in 1981 and is the largest international association of marine mammal scientists in the world.
The mission of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) is to promote the global advancement of marine mammal science and contribute to its relevance and impact in education, conservation and management.
The Biennial Conferences on the Biology of Marine Mammals predate the founding of the Society. The Biennial Conferences were a successor to Tom Poulter's "Annual Conference on Biological Sonar and Diving Mammals" held at the Stanford Research Institute (formally separated from Stanford University in 1970 and now known as SRI International) in Menlo Park, California, beginning in 1964. Dr. Kenneth S. Norris of UC Santa Cruz founded the First Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, hosted by UC Santa Cruz in 1975. About 300 people attended the conference. A second Biennial in San Diego followed in 1977, supported by the U.S. Naval Ocean Systems Center, with about 480 people attending. Following the second conference, George Yost Harry, then director of what is now the Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, initiated discussions about forming a society to organize and run the conferences. In 1978, Norris prepared a "Preliminary Design of a Society of Marine Mammalogy" and formed an organizational committee (consisting of Tom Dohl, George Harry, Burney LeBeouf, John C. Lilly, Ken Norris, Bill Perrin, Bill Powell and Forrest Wood, later expanded to include Bob Elsner, Bill Evans, Lou Herman and Ron Schusterman). The new society would "provide a vehicle for promoting the science of marine mammalogy." Proposed functions:
The committee met during the Third Biennial in Seattle in 1979 and discussed the preliminary design, proposed criteria for membership, and suggested by-laws. All was firmed up by correspondence, and at the Fourth Biennial in San Francisco in 1981, Norris presented the need and plans for a society to a meeting of those conference participants interested in forming one. The proposal was accepted by the group, and Norris was elected the first President by consensus. He then launched into the knotty tasks of confirming charter members, drafting a constitution and by-laws, getting the Society officially incorporated, recruiting people to act as interim Secretary, Treasurer and chairs of the committees on membership and nominations/elections, and helping start organization of the Fifth Biennial and the first full election. Attendance has grown from the 300 in 1975 to more than 2000 in some years.
The next major step for the Society after its formation in 1981 was the creation of a new journal devoted to the biology of marine mammals. Titles proposed included Journal of Marine Mammalogy, Marine Mammals, and others, but Marine Mammal Science won out. The first issue appeared in 1985. Joe Geraci was the first Editor, followed by Doug Wartzok, William F. (Bill) Perrin, Don Bowen, Jim Estes, and Daryl Boness (current). The first book-length special publication of the Society appeared in 1987 (Marine Mammal Energetics, edited by Huntley et al.), followed by The Bowhead Whale (1993, Burns et al., eds), Molecular Genetics of Marine Mammals (Dizon et al., eds) and Marine Mammals of the World (Rice, 1998).
The Society for Marine Mammalogy recognizes the numerous threats and challenges faced by marine mammals around the world. To address these issues of concern, the SMM employs three strategies:
The Society for Marine Mammalogy holds international meetings every two years, with the goal of enhancing collaboration, sharing ideas, and improving the quality of research on marine mammals within the scientific community. The gathering of interdisciplinary experts enables discussion amongst marine mammal scientists and policy makers, enhancing collaboration and training the next generation of scientists and practitioners, and is a key opportunity to foster international partnerships and collaborations. In addition to key-note lectures and oral presentations, there are generally over 1,000 poster presentations in addition to topical workshops on hot topics in marine mammal science.
The Society for Marine Mammalogy holds biennial international meetings with the goal of enhancing collaboration, sharing ideas, and improving the quality of research on marine mammals within the scientific community. On December 13–17 2021, the Society for Marine Mammalogy will host its 24th Biennial Conference. The conference will take place in Palm Beach, Florida, USA. The meeting will bring together leaders in the field from every continent. The gathering of interdisciplinary experts enables discussion amongst marine mammal scientists and policy makers, enhancing collaboration and training the next generation of scientists and practitioners, and is a key opportunity to foster international partnerships and collaborations.
The conference will attract marine mammal scientists, managers and policy makers from more than 60 countries to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue on the world’s most pressing marine science and conservation issues as they relate to these highly charismatic species.
As of 2023, the Society has over 1,000 members in 55 countries. About 55% of members reside in the USA.
The Society produces the scientific journal, Marine Mammal Science. Marine Mammal Science publishes significant new findings on marine mammals resulting from original research on their form and function, evolution, systematics, physiology, biochemistry, behavior, population biology, life history, genetics, ecology and conservation.[1]