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Martin van Aswegen

@mvanaswegen_

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As an exciting week of #smm2026 comes to an end, we still have two fantastic talks up our sleeves! Last but definitely not least, join us tomorrow to watch @mvanaswegen_ and @jenscurrie present! #oneoceanonefuture

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We are thrilled to share a new publication from MMRP PhD student @cameron_nemeth

Using a combination of drone and tag data, we quantified how the cost of swimming changes with body size in humpback whales. We found an approximately 62% reduction in mass-specific swimming costs from a 4 meter long calf to a 14 m long mother! These results offer a more detailed approach towards quantifying the impacts of disturbances on whales, including vessel traffic and sonar exposure.

For more information, follow the link in our bio to read Cameron’s blog post, or find the full publication at
https://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/articles/meps15212

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Here’s my Marine Bio journey! 🩵🪸🦭🐋

It was kind of crazy making this post…
I definitely struggle ALOT with imposter syndrome and I often find my self comparing what I’ve done to others in the field. And with that I often forget just how much I’ve accomplished!

So I want to use this post not only as a way to share my own unique story to other aspiring marine biologists, but also as a little reminder to my self that I have worked my butt off (I couldn’t even fit everything) and deserve to be where I am and to be proud to share all I’ve accomplished!

So if you also struggle with imposter syndrome or are starting your own marine biology journey, this is a reminder for you too!
🩵You’re awesome
🩵You’re doing great
🩵You’re deserve to be where you are

PS: I am also more than happy to answer any questions you all have about the field, getting experience, research, etc. Just send me a DM and I’ll do my best to help in any way I can! 🫶🏼😊

PPS: I’m also going to tag all the amazing organizations/programs & people that I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working for/learning from, so you all can check them out! 🐋🦭🔬
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#marinebiologist #womeninstem #oceanconservation #scientist #oceanlover

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How we use drones to study whale health 🐋🚁

Drones allow us to non-invasively study marine mammals. By pairing aerial imagery with a laser altimeter that records the drone’s altitude above the whale, we can accurately measure body length and width along the animal’s body. These measurements allow us to estimate body volume and mass, providing a quantitative measure of body condition (i.e., energy reserves).

By re-measuring the same whales weeks apart we can quantify changes in body condition, allowing us to measure whale health and energetics, providing foundational knowledge on what it costs to be a humpback whale. Once we know these foundational metrics we can start to predict how these populations may respond to future stressors.

Mahalo to all of our collaborators, funders and helpers, we couldn’t do it without you! All research conducted under NMFS permit #27548-01

📹: @cameron_nemeth @lewisevans191 @mvanaswegen_

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New poster: The Humpback Whale in the North Pacific Ocean (Megaptera novaeangliae kuzira). #humpbackwhale #megapteranovaeangliae #kuzira #whaleart

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2025 will be a hard year to beat! I backpacked the lost coast, hit some big milestones at the Pinniped Lab, coauthored my first scientific publication with an amazing mentor, spent a few days with my best friends in San Francisco, had a lifechanging first field season and first whale research job with Alaska Whale Foundation, spent time with friends and family in Michigan, took a motorboat operator certification course, hiked in the snow in Yosemite, was a Blundy Fellow with California Ocean Alliance and learned all about auditing spectrograms of passive acoustic monitoring data for marine mammal presence, applied to grants and grad school for the first time, and am ending the year working with whales in the Antarctic for the Friedlaender Lab! Feeling grateful for all the learning and love this year and ready to bring the same energy to 2026! Thank you to all the special people who made this year so great!

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Body mass composition of the Humpback Whale.

Data from van Aswegen M, Szabo A, Currie JJ, Stack SH, Straley J, Neilson J, Gabriele C, Cates K, Baker CS, Steel D, Pack AA, West KL, Hofmann NJ, Toonen RJ, Loockerman C, Sullivan FA, Cheeseman T, Sharpe F, Bejder L (2025) Age-specific body length, mass, and energetic cost of growth in humpback whales. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 770:171-194

https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14937

#humpbackwhale #megapteranovaeangliae #whaleart

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Body mass growth and development in the North Pacific Humpback Whale.

Data from van Aswegen M, Szabo A, Currie JJ, Stack SH, Straley J, Neilson J, Gabriele C, Cates K, Baker CS, Steel D, Pack AA, West KL, Hofmann NJ, Toonen RJ, Loockerman C, Sullivan FA, Cheeseman T, Sharpe F, Bejder L (2025) Age-specific body length, mass, and energetic cost of growth in humpback whales. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 770:171-194

https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14937

#humpbackwhale #megapteranovaeangliae #whaleart

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New publication by MMRP Postdoc Martin van Aswegen and colleagues!

Humpback whales grow big, and they grow fast… but at what energetic cost?

By combining 2,651 drone-based measurements of 1,503 individual whales with sighting records, whaling archives, and tissue samples, van Aswegen and coauthors estimated body size, growth rates, and associated energy requirements of humpback whales from birth to 50 years of age.

This study reveals the extreme energetic demands of early growth in humpback whales. Calves reach about 75 % of their adult length within the first year, but this rapid growth comes at a great cost: they allocate 6-8 times more energy to growth per day than mature adults.

For mothers, this means sustaining nearly a third of their calf’s lifetime growth in just one year - while fasting on the breeding grounds and throughout migration, relying solely on fat reserves accumulated during the previous feeding season.

The study was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series (open access):
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14937

Martin has also posted a blog:
https://www.mmrphawaii.org/blogs

This was a collaborative effort between researchers from @mmrp_uh, @himb_soest, @alaska_whale_foundation, @pacificwhalefoundation, @griffithuniversity, @uasoutheast, @uafairbanks, @nationalparkservice, @oregonstate, @adamaripack, @healthandstrandinglab, and @happywhale_official.

We are grateful to our funders: Thank you to our funders: @usnavyresearch, @uhmanoanews, @marinesanctuaryfdn, @dolphin.quest, @lindbladexp, @insidenatgeo, @nprbscience, 'Our Oceans', @netflix, Wildspace Productions, @freebornemedia, @pacwhaleecoadventures, @pacificwhalefoundation, and Omidyar Ohana Foundation.

Big thank you to @whaleposters for the scientific illustrations in the paper and to @cameron_nemeth and Kalikoaloha Martin for translating the abstract into Hawaiian.

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We are pleased to announce a new publication by PhD student Lewis Evans and colleagues!

This study uses drones to identify humpback whales from above, using tubercles and scarring on top of the whales head. This method greatly increases our ability to monitor individual humpback whales over short and long timescales.

This study was published in Marine Mammal Science and can be found here: http://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70078!

Lewis has also published a blog summarising the why, the how and the what. His blog can be found here: https://www.mmrphawaii.org/blogs

This was a large collaborative effort between researchers from @pacificwhalefoundation @griffithuniversity @alaska_whale_foundation

Thank you to our funders: @usnavyresearch, @universityofhawaii, @netflix , our oceans, wild space productions, @freebornemedia, @pacwhaleecoadventures, @pacificwhalefoundation, @lindbladexp, @nprbscience and omidyar Ohana foundation.

All images were taken under NMFS permit #21476, 19703, 20311-01

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First first author paper was just published today in the Journal of Experimental Biology! Huge thanks to everybody @mmrp_uh , @alaska_whale_foundation , and all of my co-authors for helping to pull together this huge collaborative effort!

Haaheo no hoi au i ka pai ana i ka houluulu ma ka Olelo Hawaii! Ma o keia mau ano unuhi, e hoomahuahua ia ai na mea okoa i pai ia ma ka Olelo Hawaii. Mahalo ia Kumu Kaipo no ka hooponopono ana i kaʻu unuhi!

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Check out @cameron_nemeth ‘s new paper on the kinematics of humpback whale bubble-net feeding that he completed during his undergraduate studies @uhmanoanews ! You can also read more about this work and access the full text through Cam’s blog posts on our website and @whalescientists at the link in our bios! This work was a huge collaborative effort between our lab, @alaska_whale_foundation , and 14 other researchers from institutions spanning 5 different countries. A huge thank you to everyone that contributed to this work! Also, thank you to @whalescientists @anaisremili and @whaleposters for creating such an amazing infographic!

In an effort to expand the breadth of written text available in the Hawaiian language, Cam also translated the abstract into Hawaiian, and had a Hawaiian language professor edit the translation. These collaborations support our local community, engage a broader audience, and remind all of the rich history and culture of the land on which we work.

doi:10.1242/jeb.249607

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