Marine Mammals Careers Matrix

Marine mammals are essential for maintaining a balanced ecosystem and are often referred to as sentinels of ocean health. This means they can act as effective indicators of current or potential negative impacts on individual and population-level animal health. Studying these species allows us to improve the management of impacts that can ultimately affect both human and animal health. Marine mammals are also considered charismatic megafauna which helps raise and stimulate public support for their conservation and that of the oceans in general and inspires many to pursue a career working in this field.

This Marine Mammals career matrix provides a guide to the types of roles across sectors and the skills required. It is ideal for students considering their future careers, whether as a protected species observer in industries such as oil, gas, renewables, marine and coastal construction sectors, a researcher in academia, an expedition scientist in eco-tourism or a veterinarian among many others.

These career roles share many essential skills such as good communication, teamwork, problem-solving, project management, data analysis and following safety regulations. The marine mammal world is highly competitive, and it is essential to gain specialist and technical skills that are not standalone careers but may be part of an expansive professional career.

The matrix also provides employers with valuable insight into the difference between the many specialist roles to ensure they understand and recruit individuals with the right skills for their projects.