Marine mammals have been studied at the Mammal Research Institute (MRI) since the 1970’s, when work on Antarctic and Subantarctic seals began.  This work formed the basis for the establishment of several long-term research projects that persist to this day.  The formation of Whale Unit consolidated cetacean research at the MRI in the 1980’s. 

This theme is co-led by Associate Professor Nico de Bruyn, Principal Investigator of the Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme (MIMMP), who joined the MRI in 2010, and Dr Els Vermeulen, Research Manager of the Whale Unit (MRIWU), who joined in 2015. Together they have 16 national and 44 international long-standing collaborations that bear testament to the value of their long-term, world-class databases and high standard of research.

The MIMMP research concentrates primarily on Marion and Prince Edward Islands, the Tristan da Cunha archipelago and the Antarctic ice shelf, while the MRIWU conducts research along the Western Cape coast, northern KZN and into the Southern Ocean.