January Lecture: Harbor Porpoises

The Secret Lives of Harbor Porpoises With Dr. Cindy Elliser

Join us on Friday, January 16th 2026 at NWESD 189 Building, located at 1601 R Ave. Reservations for this lecture will open at 9:00am on Friday, January 2nd. Reservations are required.

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January 16th Lecture: The Secret Lives of Harbor Porpoises With Dr. Cindy Elliser

 

Harbor Porpoises are one of the most abundant marine mammal species in the Salish Sea, however there is much we don’t know about this often elusive species. Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) has spent over 10 years conducting behavioral and photo-identification research on Harbor Porpoises to learn more about their behavior, ecology, movement patterns, and more. Did you know that individuals can remain resident in an area, that they sometimes eat salmon, or that they wake surf? PacMam is one of the few organizations in the world conducting this type of work on Harbor Porpoises. Dr. Elliser’s talk will help you get to know your cetacean neighbors and learn about the individual lives and behaviors of Harbor Porpoises in the Salish Sea. There is more to them than meets the eye! 

Meet The Speaker

Dr. Cindy R. Elliser is the founder and research director of Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) and Associate Director of the Salish Sea Institute (SSI) at Western Washington University. Her PacMam research focuses on the behavioral ecology of individual Harbor Porpoises and Harbor Seals in the Salish Sea; over the last decade, PacMam has become a leader in Harbor Porpoise photo-ID and behavioral research. Previously, Dr. Elliser worked with Dr. Denise Herzing and the Wild Dolphin Project, studying the behavioral ecology and social structure of Atlantic Spotted and Bottlenose Dolphins in the Bahamas. 

Meet The Speaker (Continued)

 

Her research interests focus on knowing the individuals in a population to better understand their behavior, as well as gain insights into the group’s social and population structure, information critical to protect and conserve these species. As Associate Director of SSI, Dr. Elliser supports and engages with the public, researchers, and policy makers through science communication, research, and education on a wide variety of topics related to the the Salish Sea, with a focus on the transboundary nature of the region. Her work aims to protect and conserve the Salish Sea and the marine mammals that call it home.