Current Research Blogs
Dawson's Blog
Dawson Little, graduate student
1 July 2026
Hi y'all,
June was probably one of the busiest and most productive months of the project so far. After spending much of the spring focused on troubleshooting, organization, and planning, this month felt like a major turning point as several different components of my thesis research finally started coming together.
The biggest milestone this month was completing the molecular sex identification work for our 2025 river otter scat samples. I really can't overstate how much of this accomplishment is due to the tremendous amount of work put in by undergraduate researcher and fellow lab member, Ellie Taylor. Ellie spent countless hours working with Dietmar processing samples, troubleshooting assays, and running qPCR analyses, and I'm incredibly grateful for all of the work she put into this portion of the project. With the final dataset now complete, I've begun exploring some of the preliminary patterns and have already found interesting differences in sex determination success rates between study sites, as well as what appear to be substantial differences in sex ratios between estuaries. These data will allow us to begin investigating whether sex influences river otter diet composition.
Another major focus this month involved finalizing sample selection for the metabarcoding portion of the study. This process ended up being much more involved than I originally anticipated, requiring us to balance successful sex assignments, seasonal representation, site coverage, and DNA quality while also navigating several logistical challenges along the way. After multiple rounds of revisions and coordination with collaborators, we finalized a set of 240 river otter scat samples that will move forward for sequencing. Although reaching this milestone has been exciting, I'm still waiting to hear back from the contractor regarding the final sequencing timeline, which will ultimately determine the remaining timeline for the project and, consequently, my anticipated graduation timeline.
I've also continued working through hard part identifications from river otter scat samples whenever time allows. This process remains incredibly time intensive, but managing to identify European green crab remains in multiple samples has been encouraging. I'm especially looking forward to eventually comparing the traditional hard part analyses with the metabarcoding results to better understand the strengths and limitations of each approach and build a more complete picture of river otter diet ecology in these systems.
While much of my focus this month was on thesis research, summer field season for the Makah Tribe's European green crab program is also now fully underway. Over the past month, we've continued monitoring and assessment efforts across the reservation while also preparing for several major trapping efforts later this summer, including this year's Makah European Green Crab Trapping Blitz and our annual trapping expedition to the Ozette area.
Overall, June was one of the first months where it really felt like several years of fieldwork, laboratory work, and planning were beginning to converge into a single project. There is still a tremendous amount of work ahead, and some uncertainty remains regarding the final project timeline, but it has been really rewarding to finally start seeing some of the bigger pieces come together. I'm especially looking forward to seeing the metabarcoding results begin to come in and continuing to build on the momentum we've gained over the past few months.
Best,
Dawson
Zoe's Blog
Zoe Hosford, graduate student
1 July 2026
Welcome to the final chapter.
It feels surreal to be writing those words. After two years in the Marine Mammal Ecology Lab, it's hard to believe we've made it to my final MMEL blog. June has been a whirlwind in the best way, filled with milestones that, for a long time, had felt so far away. I successfully defended my M.S. thesis, graduated from Western Washington University with my Master of Science in Biology and a Graduate Certificate in Data Science, and officially closed out my time as both a graduate student and teaching assistant.
Defending my thesis was one of those moments that still doesn't quite feel real. After spending two years living and breathing this project, finally getting to share it with my committee, lab mates, friends, and family was incredibly rewarding. While preparing for the defense was definitely nerve wracking, it also gave me the chance to step back and appreciate just how much I'd learned and accomplished over the course of my master's.
As exciting as those accomplishments were, they also gave me a chance to reflect on everything that led to them. Looking back, graduate school was never just about the thesis or the defense. It was about learning what the real world of research looks like, building confidence in my own abilities, growing into a scientist who can take an idea and see it through from start to finish, and doing my best to find a work life balance that I'm still not entirely convinced exists.
Outside of academics, June was filled with memories I'll never forget. My family flew across the country to celebrate graduation, and naturally, we celebrated by jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. While it wasn't my first jump, getting to experience it alongside my family and watching my sister conquer her first skydive made it one of my favorite memories of the month. Between graduation celebrations, time with family, and soaking up a few more weeks in the Pacific Northwest before my move, June felt like the perfect ending to this chapter.
Graduation may have marked the end of my master's, but it certainly didn't mean slowing down. Between beginning manuscript revisions, getting a head start on reading for my Ph.D., working through remote sensing training, and preparing for a cross-country move, June quickly shifted from celebrating one accomplishment to preparing for the next.
In just a few weeks, I'll be heading to Clemson University to begin my Ph.D. As excited as I am for what's ahead, it's bittersweet to say goodbye to MMEL. I'm incredibly grateful to Alejandro and Dietmar for their mentorship and support throughout my master's, as well as the many faculty members who generously shared their time, knowledge, and encouragement along the way. I also want to thank my lab mates for making these past two years so memorable. I feel incredibly lucky to have been part of the Marine Mammal Ecology Lab.
To me, a master's is a bridge. It's a chance to figure out what kind of scientist you want to become and where you see yourself in the world of research. Looking back, I can honestly say these past two years did exactly that for me. I couldn't be more grateful for everything MMEL has given me, and I know those lessons will stay with me for years to come.
Thank you, MMEL, for an unforgettable chapter. Here's to new adventures, new questions, and all that's still waiting to be discovered.
See you around,
Zoe
Bea's Blog
Bea Macagno, post-baccalaureate student
1 July 2026
Hi folks!
This summer, I will be starting a paid position at Wild EcoHealth, where I have been volunteering and interning since October. I will also be continuing population genetic analyses for MMEL. In my free time I have been enjoying the Bellingham summer on my paddleboard in Lake Whatcom. As my summer updates will be consistent, I decided I want to cover new publications in my summer blogs to keep myself up to date on marine mammal research!
Pinnipeds can spend time on land, a behavior known as “hauling out”. They do this for a variety of reasons such as mating, molting, resting, pup rearing, thermoregulation, and predator avoidance. Prior studies have found that haul out behavior peaks around midday or night depending on the species, but it is unclear if this behavior is learned or innate. This paper focuses on juvenile gray seals that were rehabilitated and released, which makes them ideal for identifying if haul out behavior is innate, as they have not had the opportunity to learn from older seals in the wild.
In this study, seals were released with satellite tags once they reached weaning weight. Tracking showed individuals dispersed after release and varied in travel direction but would haul out in common areas where wild seals were also observed. Haul outs occurred during evening and night hours, which may be related to periods where prey availability is low, or predators are present. As night length increased in the winter months, seals would haul out for longer periods. Taken together, these findings indicate that naive seals can integrate in natural habitats, as they use haul out sites of wild born seals. This suggests that haul out timing and location is not a learned behavior.
As a former neuroscience major, I have been interested in how animal brains work to initiate behaviors. An important piece of this puzzle is understanding innate versus learned behaviors. In social animals such as seals, young individuals may learn important behaviors from adults of their species. Based on this study, it seems that haul out behavior is innate, possibly initiated by intrinsic factors such as the need to thermoregulate, or extrinsic factors such as prey availability and predator presence. The ability of young seals to haul out without social learning could be considered an adaptive trait that allows them to survive on their own. Understanding animal behavior is important for conservation: in this case it assures rehabilitators that released seals will be able to integrate in the wild and additional measures are not needed to ensure young individuals are able to safely engage in haul out behaviors.
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about haul out behaviors, and I will update you next month with a new paper!
Ciao,
Bea
Siena's Blog
Siena Gorohoff, undergraduate student
1 July 2026
Hi again! This is my last blog post and as of now it’s been a while since I've been at Western. Spring quarter wrapped up really nicely, it’s always fun to finish finals and get to enjoy the sun and warm weather. I got to finish writing the paper for my capstone class which was really nice seeing it come together and now Chloe, and I will be able to use some of that work to write a manuscript for publishing. The rest of June has been pretty busy outside of school. I moved out of my apartment in Bellingham and just a few days ago (I’m slightly losing track of days due to time zone change), I moved to Australia which is where I’ll finish up my undergraduate studies and live for the next few months. It’s definitely very weird and exciting, and I’m looking forward to learning about marine science over here. I’ll definitely miss summer in the Pacific Northwest; it’s winter here technically but still pretty warm. Also, it seems like this time of year is best to see whales around here, so I’ll have to look out for them.
I’m really excited to see what new projects will be coming out of the lab next, even though I didn’t graduate in spring I won't be as up to date with everything happening in the lab as I was since I'll be mostly focused on finishing up school abroad and working on the manuscript with Chloe. It will be really fun to see how everything gets carried on, I'm looking forward to seeing what the new media team will share and to getting to read blogs from new students about their research and time in the lab.
Happy summer to everyone in Bellingham!
Siena
Camryn's Blog
Camryn Sumrok, undergraduate student
1 July 2026
Greetings!
I can hardly believe that my time in MMEL has come to an end. Looking back over the past two years, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for everything this lab has given me. What began as an opportunity to gain research experience truly became one of the most rewarding parts of my undergraduate career. I have learned so much! And not only about marine mammals and research, but also about leadership, collaboration, perseverance, and the kind of scientist I hope to become.
Before I officially sign off, I want to take a moment to thank the people who made this experience so special!
To Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez, thank you for your continuous support, guidance, and encouragement throughout my journey in MMEL. Your mentorship has challenged me to grow in ways I never expected, and you have been an incredible role model as I begin my own career in marine science.
To every member of MMEL, thank you for creating such a welcoming, supportive, and inspiring environment. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work alongside all of you, and I know the friendships I have made here will last well beyond my time at Western.
To Victoria Vinecke and Erin D’Agnese, thank you for welcoming me into the pinniped genetics project and giving me the opportunity to develop my laboratory skills through DNA extractions. It has been an incredible learning experience, and I am so grateful for everything you taught me. And to Bea Macagno, thank you for being the very best lab partner. Your patience, encouragement, and friendship made every day in the lab something to look forward to!
And to Mallory Stonier, thank you for being my Smolt Project partner in crime this past year. From the countless early mornings in the field to presenting our research together, I truly could not have asked for a better teammate. We have accomplished so much together, and I will always cherish the memories of researching pinnipeds and salmonids side by side.
Although my undergraduate chapter has come to an end, my work with MMEL is not quite finished. This summer, Mallory and I will continue working remotely on the Smolt Project manuscript as we prepare our findings for publication. It is incredibly exciting to know that the project will continue beyond graduation! I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the scientific process from data collection all the way through communicating our results. Being involved in manuscript preparation has already taught me so much about what it takes to turn a research project into something that can contribute to the broader scientific community, and I look forward to continuing that work over the coming months. It feels like the perfect way to stay connected to a project and lab that have meant so very much to me.
This lab has provided opportunities I once only dreamed about, introduced me to lifelong friends and mentors, and helped refine my personal and professional goals. From processing pinniped scat samples in the lab to leading the Smolt Project, presenting research at conferences, and spending countless hours in the field, every experience has helped shape the scientist I am today. I am excited to begin the next chapter of my career, but I will always miss the people, the projects, and the sense of community that made MMEL feel like home.
Thank you, MMEL, for believing in me, investing in me, and making these past two years unforgettable. I will always be proud to have been a part of this lab, and I cannot wait to see where the lessons and experiences I gained here take me next.
Seals and Salmon Forever,
Camryn
Mallory's Blog
Mallory Stonier, undergraduate student
1 July 2026
Happy summer everyone,
I hope you and your loved ones are doing well and getting to enjoy some sun this month! Rachel and I have taken over managing the Whatcom Creek project and have begun setting up summer observations. I am super excited to work with Rachel and am incredibly grateful for all our hard-working observers that are observing this summer. Log Pond observations are also running, so with Log Pond manager Tallis Kent out of Bellingham I have been getting folks trained to send her data soon. I am also working on inputting the 2026 SMOLT data so that data analysis can begin as soon as possible because I am extremely excited to see what four years of data can tell us. Especially because this year there was a fraction of the amount of smolt released as other years, so questions regarding smolt density effects might be more clearly answered.
I have begun my internship at the Whatcom Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (WHS WRC), which has already been amazing not just in experiences but in how much I have been learning in such little time about animal husbandry. My handling skills are improving, and I am happy to be spending my time in wildlife conservation and learning more about what it takes to be in the field of my dream career.
It was very sad to see all the graduates go, but we were able to celebrate in a lab event and MMEL member Kacey James was very kind to invite me to his graduation celebration where I was finally able to achieve my long-time goal of seeing an orca pod! It was quite astonishing to not just watch them surface but observe them capture and eat a harbor seal. It was certainly odd to not be rooting for the harbor seals, but I am grateful for the experience, nonetheless.
Overall, when I am not working at the center, I am mostly looking at a lot of computer work this month and a few more trainings to run before I am more hands-off for the summer. I am very excited to spend some time outside because I retrieved my mountain bike from my family’s cabin in the North Cascades earlier this month (which was a lovely recharge) and have my paddleboard ready for my days off. I am also ecstatic to be joining my family in Seattle July 6th for the World Cup Round of 16 Match 94, so there is a lot to look forward to inside and outside of the lab this month.
Seal you next time,
Mallory
Ellie's Blog
Ellie Taylor, undergraduate student
1 July 2026
Hi everyone,
As this chapter of my life comes to a close, it feels very bittersweet to be writing my last blog! The lab has been a huge part of my life throughout the past 3 years and I will miss it dearly. While I'll still be working with Dawson to finish writing the river otter manuscript, it feels different to not physically on campus doing labwork. In August, I’ll be starting a Lab Technician position with the USGS Molecular Ecology Lab in Fort Collins, and I’m excited to continue building on everything I’ve learned here while beginning the next stage of my career.
This month has also marked an important milestone for the project as I completed the final qPCR plates for sex identification. With the full dataset now available alongside the hard parts analysis, we’ve been able to start comparing patterns between rivers. One of the most interesting findings so far is that the Tsoo-Yess River appears to have a relatively even sex ratio, while the Wa'atch River shows a strong male bias. These differences could have important implications for predator-prey dynamics between the two systems, and I’m looking forward to exploring how these patterns compare with the diet data as we continue developing the manuscript.
As I wrap up my time in the lab, I’ve been reflecting on how much this experience has shaped me as a scientist. From learning new molecular techniques and troubleshooting countless experiments to presenting this work and now helping prepare the manuscript, this project has provided so many opportunities to grow. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone in the lab for their support, mentorship, and encouragement throughout the past three years. It has been a privilege to be part of MMEL and to work alongside such thoughtful, talented, and supportive scientists.
Best,
Ellie
Chloe's Blog
Chloe Bentley, undergraduate student
1 July 2026
Hello everyone! This month has just flown by.
I am happy to report that I finished all my finals and have completed my biology degree. I have had an amazing time studying biology at WWU and have had the pleasure of working with the staff and my classmates. We have a fantastic department. I have especially been grateful for the MMEL and all of my lab mates. The lab had a great end of the year's party, and Siena was able to find a super cute seal cake for the celebration. We also passed the torch to Mallory and Rachel, who will start taking over this summer! We are super excited to see where they take the lab.
This summer I am traveling home and in July I will start a bio-archeology field school in Romania! I am super excited to explore that side of biology and maybe down the road find a way to combine my time at WWU with that. While home I was able to go to a FIFA World Cup game and see all my family. So grateful to be home!
Siena and I are in the process of writing our manuscript for our cetacean research! We will continue throughout the summer and hopefully have a solid draft this upcoming school year. Siena presented her cohort and did a fantastic job; it was great to see our research in that format.
Big thank you to Alejandro for facilitating so many amazing opportunities and a thank you to all the amazing people I have worked with in the lab.
Very best,
Chloe
Luke's Blog
Luke Shrader, undergraduate student
1 July 2026
Hello folks,
Happy July! June was an eventful and productive month for me, in all areas of my life. My biggest piece of news is that I graduated with a self-designed degree from WWU’s Fairhaven College titled Theoretical Ecology, Applied Mathematics and Embodied Cognition. I left my last final, for Linear Algebra, feeling grateful, bittersweet, and accomplished. Following graduation, I embarked on a three-day road trip to Bozeman, MT to begin an REU at MSU titled Socioecological Systems in the American West with the Montana Predictive Range Ecology Lab. I am now working on species distribution models for culturally important plants for the Fort Peck Reservation as well as resource selection functions for some Ribes species in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. I write this blog from a cabin in Paradise Valley, MT, where my fellow researchers and I are studying land designation and its effect on natural systems. To say the least, the last couple weeks have been a whirlwind.
In other news, my research partner Bea Macagno and I are continuing to work with graduate student Alex Otto to analyze harbor seal mtDNA data with a multinomial logistic distance-based regression for haplotype data. Since Bea, Alex and I all have new jobs and our advisor Dr. Dietmar Schwarz has been in Germany for the past 3 weeks, our work has slowed a bit, but we’re having success coding in our free time and continuing the analysis without close supervision. It’s exciting to realize we have (nearly) all the skills to do it on our own.
For the future, I am excited to wrap up the mtDNA analysis and write up all the work we’ve done and submit it for publication. I’m grateful to have embarked on my next chapter and can’t wait to see what this fall holds. I hope you all have an excellent summer!
Until next time,
Luke Shrader
Anna's Blog
Anna Gilboard, undergraduate student
1 July 2026
June was an exciting and bittersweet month because I officially completed and presented my Honors Capstone project! After spending the past year cleaning data, learning new analysis techniques, and trying to make sense of over a decade of harbor seal pup stranding records from San Juan County, I finally had the opportunity to share my research.
Preparing for my honors presentation challenged me to think about my project in a different way. Instead of only focusing on the statistics and figures, I had to explain why my research matters to people who may not have any background in marine mammal science. One of the biggest takeaways from my project was that while some strandings can clearly be linked to human activities, most cases remain classified as unknown. Rather than being a disappointing result, this highlights an important need for more consistent reporting, better documentation, and continued long-term monitoring of marine mammals.
As I wrap up my honors project, I’ve found myself reflecting on everything I’ve learned from being a part of the Marine Mammal Ecology Lab over the past few years. Beyond the technical skills and research experience, the lab has taught me that science is rarely about finding perfect answers. More often, it’s about asking good questions, embracing uncertainty, and continuing to learn. I’ve also learned the value of collaboration, mentorship, and supporting one another through every stage of the research process. Being part of this lab has helped me grow not only as a researcher, but also as a scientist and communicator, and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has been part of that journey.
Although my capstone and time in the research lab has come to an end, I’m excited to continue following the work done in Marine Mammal Ecology Lab. I’m grateful for everyone who supported this project, especially Dr. Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez and The Whale Museum for providing the data that made this research possible. This experience has strengthened my interest in marine conservation and wildlife research, and I’m excited to see where these experiences lead next.
Signing off,
Anna