The project MULTIWHALE is a large international and interdisciplinary project funded by the Research Council of Norway Programme MARINFORSK (Marine Science).
We will study the complex question of how multiple stressors (anthropogenic pollutants, disturbance from whale watching activities, and nutritional status) affect biological responses such as gene expression, endocrine, physiological, and behaviour at the individual and population levels in Norwegian killer whales.
This exciting project will include field studies, laboratory work and modelling tools to understand the long-term and short-term individual and population level effects of multiple stressors.
We are happy to welcome Eve Jourdain to the group as the postdoctoral researcher, and to welcome back Clare Andvik, now as the PhD candidate. These two have already been out on the field in November 2020 to collect samples from whales during a year with little disturbance from whale watching boats due to COVID-19 restrictions.
These past few weeks of start-up have been busy with two large kick-off meetings with all the partners and collaborators. There has also been lots of time spent planning the project, writing field and lab protocols, and ordering extra equipment needed for the project.
Stay tuned for more updates on our project, as well as our papers and results in the years to come!