[Many thanks to Ey Boricua for sharing this news.] The 26th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from October 19 to 23, 2026, at the Centro de Convenciones Pedro Rosselló González, in San Juan, with pre-conference workshops on October 17-18. This is a landmark event because it is the first time the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) has held a biennial conference in Latin America, “celebrating the region’s key role in advancing marine mammal science and conservation.” Registration is still open.

SMM explains, “Our theme, ‘One Ocean, One Future,’ underscores our shared responsibility to advance marine mammal science amid growing human pressures. It calls for stronger global partnerships, innovative research, and timely, evidence-based action to ensure healthy oceans for all.”

Keynote speakers include doctors Laura May-Collado (Associate Professor, The University of Vermont; Research Associate, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute), Bob Bonde (U.S. Geological Survey), Joanna Alfaro (Managing Director, ProDelphinus), Fernando Elorriaga-Verplancken (Professor, National Polytechnic Institute), and Jorge Velez-Juarbe (Associate Curator, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County).

Ey Boricua spoke to the president of the SMM, Jeremy Kiszka, who explained, “The future of marine mammal science and conservation depends on global collaboration. By holding our conference in Puerto Rico for the first time, we are not only recognizing the extraordinary growth of marine mammal science throughout Latin America, but also creating new opportunities for researchers from around the world to work together to address the challenges facing our oceans.”

For more information, see https://www.smmconference.org/ and https://www.smmconference.org/about-smm/

For article from Ey Boricua, visit https://eyboricua.com/puerto-rico-sera-sede-de-la-mayor-conferencia-mundial-sobre-mamiferos-marinos/