Project Grant N000142412496

This Project Grant award of $435,825.00 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Social and Economic Science, provided under CFDA 47.075 - Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, supports research at Western Washington University (WWU) to investigate the use of strategic anthropomorphic animal imagery (SAAIS) to activate empathy, promote conservation behaviors, and engage diverse populations. The key products and services to be delivered under this 5-year project include:...

This $418,546 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program supports collaborative research to investigate oxygen transport mechanisms in elite diving mammals. The research team from San Diego State University will evaluate and model in vivo oxygen delivery in California sea lions and bottlenose dolphins, elucidate the biochemical regulation of oxygen off-loading in these species, and examine oxygen storage and diffusion in their skeletal muscle. This...

The Monterey Bay Aquarium (Aquarium) was awarded a $397,569 Cooperative Agreement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657). The project aims to revise the recovery plan and implementation strategy for the southern sea otter, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Aquarium, a leading authority on southern sea otter research and rehabilitation, will work with FWS to complete a draft...

This Cooperative Agreement award, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Unallied Science Program (CFDA 11.472), aims to advance the state of telemetry tag technology for monitoring North Atlantic right whales (NARW). The $679,552 project, with a period of performance from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2027, will focus on developing a new bioinspired adhesive mounting tag platform to enable longer-duration attachment of telemetry sensors on cetaceans. Key...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program provides $643,665 to the National Marine Mammal Foundation, Inc. to conduct collaborative research on oxygen transport mechanisms in elite diving mammals. The 4-year project, beginning December 1, 2023, will evaluate and model in vivo oxygen delivery during dive simulations with California sea lions and bottlenose dolphins. It will also elucidate the biochemical mechanisms regulating red blood cell oxygen...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $147,814 project grant to the National Aquarium, Inc. under the Marine Mammal Data Program. The grant will support the aquarium's efforts to improve capacity for responding to stranded or entangled marine mammals along the Atlantic coast through July 2024. Specifically, the funding will enhance the organization's ability to conduct necropsies, sample analyses, short- and long-term care of live animals including temporary facilities,...

This Project Grant award of $339,584 from the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will support the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute in enhancing data collection, analysis, and reporting related to stranded marine mammals in California and the mid-Atlantic region from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. Specifically, the awardee will work to improve the quality, quantity, and sharing of data from stranded marine mammals under the NOAA Marine Mammal Data...

This two-year, $465,684 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Polar Programs will support research exploring the role of bubble-net feeding cultural innovations in humpback whale populations in the Antarctic Peninsula region. The University of California Santa Cruz will leverage long-term data from the LTER study on the western Antarctic Peninsula, including from animal-borne tags, behavioral observations, biopsies, photo-identification, and drone footage. Researchers will model...

This $625,000 Project Grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469) supports Monmouth University's efforts to enhance marine mammal monitoring along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. The award will enable the university to utilize its Digital Acoustic Monitoring (DMON) instrument and Low-Frequency Detection and Classification System (LFDCS) technology to remotely detect and report the calls of...

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) received a $157,795 Project Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Marine Mammal Data Program (CFDA 11.439), awarded November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2026. IFAW will deliver three primary products and services: (1) capacity building support for the U.S. Marine Mammal Stranding Network to enhance live cetacean (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) stranding response capabilities; (2) short-term intensive care...