Exeter Cetacean Research Group

The Exeter Cetacean Research Group, led by Dr Kirsten Young, is based within the University of Exeter’s Biosciences department and undertakes research into the ecology, evolution and conservation of cetaceans — with a particular emphasis on deep-diving species such as sperm whales and beaked whales, among the least understood of the world’s marine mammals.

The Group takes a cross-disciplinary approach, combining population and conservation genomics, passive acoustic monitoring, photo-identification, morphometric analysis, behavioural study and environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to build a fuller picture of cetacean population structure, distribution and vulnerability.

This work is carried out both in the open ocean, through expedition-based fieldwork, and through the analysis of historical and citizen science records.

The Group’s research addresses pressing questions in marine conservation: the impact of emerging industrial activity —including deep seabed mining — on cetacean populations; the effects of underwater noise and plastic pollution on marine megafauna; and the population biology of rare and poorly studied species.

Recent fieldwork has included visual and acoustic surveys across the Clarion Clipperton Zone, the Saya de Malha Bank, the Hellenic Trench, the Norwegian Sea and the Sargasso Sea, undertaken in partnership with Greenpeace Research Laboratories.

Findings from the Group’s research are routinely submitted to international scientific and regulatory bodies, including the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, ensuring that the Group’s science feeds directly into marine policy and conservation decision-making.

Our work on humpback whale vocalisations at Vema Seamount, which formed the basis of a JASA Express Letters publication, was featured in numerous media outlets including, including Fox, ScienceDaily, children’s focused News-o-matic, Mongabay, Daily Mail, earth.com.

Our research expedition to the Saya de Malha Bank, Indian Ocean, was covered by Reuters and consequently distributed to 29 different international news outlets.

The Group also has a strong record of postgraduate and undergraduate training, and welcomes collaboration with researchers, conservation organisations and students with a shared interest in marine mammal science.