How do whales communicate with one another? How can their migration routes, which pass through the waters of different nations, be preserved? In what ways can scientific observation help prevent collisions between animals and vessels? These questions are on the agenda of the 26th International Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals — SMM2026, which is taking place 19–23 October in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its unifying theme is One Ocean, One Future: “One Ocean, One Future” (Russian gloss: «Один океан — одно будущее»).
The Society for Marine Mammalogy is holding its biennial conference in Latin America for the first time. At the heart of the meeting is the connection between the well-being of marine mammals and the health of ecosystems, as well as the international cooperation that helps turn knowledge into conservation action.
Hearing the Ocean: Voices, Songs and Communication
One of the programme's strands is devoted to acoustics and communication: from the sounds of toothed whales to whale songs and entire underwater soundscapes. Separate scientific sessions examine animal behaviour, culture and the structure of their social bonds.
In the plenary talk by the evolutionary biologist Laura May-Collado the question is raised of how the diversity of toothed whale voices arose. Researchers compare the evolutionary relatedness of species, the features of their environment and their social life, using machine learning, among other tools, to compare complex sound repertoires. This helps test which factors influenced the development of communication and how animals can cope with life in an increasingly noisy ocean.
Preserving the Roads Along Which Life Moves
The preliminary programme for 17–18 October includes a workshop on “blue corridors” — migration routes linking whales' feeding, breeding and resting grounds. Such paths cross national borders and the open sea, so protecting them requires coordinated decisions by several countries.
Among the questions announced are the use of satellite data in planning shipping, reducing the accidental entanglement of animals in fishing gear, and creating interconnected protected marine areas.
Here the idea of unity takes on practical meaning: care for one stretch of ocean continues as care for the next — along the animal's entire journey.
Preventing a Dangerous Encounter
The programme also includes working meetings on preventing collisions between whales and vessels and on real-time data exchange to reduce this risk. Another topic is preventing the entanglement of large whales in fishing gear and organising assistance.
The description of the relevant workshop provides for discussions on tracking injured animals, the use of drones, the training of rescuers and the testing of fishing equipment that reduces the risk of entanglement. Particular attention is given to cooperation among scientists, fishers, conservation organisations and local communities.
Learning more about animals that are hard to see
How can a population's abundance be estimated when its members spend most of their time underwater? The programme presents satellite tags, passive acoustic monitoring, artificial intelligence and the analysis of environmental DNA — the genetic traces left by organisms.
Separate meetings are devoted to how to combine different data sources and take climate variability into account when assessing the state of populations.
Such tools expand the possibilities of observation. They help researchers connect individual encounters with animals into a fuller picture of their movements and lives.
Passing knowledge on to the next generation
The human dimension of the conference is revealed in the plenary talk by Joanna Alfaro on passing experience on to young specialists in marine mammal conservation. Its theme is continuity: how the scientific community can pass on accumulated knowledge, field skills and experience of working with people to those who will continue this work.
This is where the depth of the words shows itself: “One Ocean, One Future”. Marine conservation is made up of many interconnected actions: hearing an animal, understanding its route, sharing an observation in time, changing a practice, teaching another.
For GAYA ONE this meeting resonates with the idea of unity through participation. Different countries, scientific schools and generations bring their own unique contribution to the common cause. Their interaction opens up possibilities that go beyond a single laboratory or a single shore.
The ocean connects shores. Shared care for life connects people.
