Cetacean Research and Marine Conservation with Elena Turac

Elena is an Austrian biologist with a Master of Science in Marine Conservation from the University of Oviedo, Spain. Her research centers on marine mammals, particularly innovative, non-invasive methods for studying free-ranging odontocetes. She’s been involved in amazing work collecting blow samples from short-finned pilot whales and participating in tagging campaigns for elusive beaked whales in the Canary Islands. Elena recently co-authored a scientific paper on genetic sex determination in pilot whales and continues to explore ways to bridge field research with conservation impact. She’s also a certified Marine Mammal Observer and PADI diver, combining her technical skills with a deep commitment to ocean advocacy. This summer, she’ll join cetacean research in Húsavík, Iceland, focusing on photo-ID and humpback whale tagging, adding yet another chapter to her journey of protecting marine life through science and storytelling.The cetacean blow sample research was under the supervision of Laura Miralles-Lopez.Instagram Elena Turac: elena_ouraniaInstagram Sabine M. Probst: sabinemprobstInstagram Podcast: impact.storytelling.podcast