
An influential expert in killer whales has been given the title of professor at the University of Cumbria.
For the last three decades, Volker Deecke has been delving deep into ocean life, listening to marine mammals and being a powerful voice in their protection.
He has played a pivotal role in collaborative research which has assisted governments in Canada, Iceland, USA and the UK in developing strategies to protect killer whales in their waters.
This year Volker has been to Madrid to join an International Whaling Commission panel of scientists.
The panel has been established to identify measures to support solutions following well-documented incidents between fishing boats and an endangered Iberian orca population off the coasts of Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
This month Volker will present his international research for the first time as a newly appointed professor.
Volker’s expertise focuses on the role of behavioural research in wildlife conservation, specifically understanding underwater communication and the effect of underwater noise.
A Sound Approach to Killer Whale Conservation: Understanding and Protecting the Ocean’s Top Predator is the opening event of the University of Cumbria 2024 Inaugural Professorial Lecture series.
Volker will discuss how he uses innovative digital recording tags to understand the behaviour of mammal-hunting and fish-eating killer whales in the north east Pacific. Killer whales are the top predators in marine ecosystems and are found in all the world’s oceans, yet surprisingly little is known about how these animals communicate and find their prey.
German-born Volker said: “It is an honour to be made a professor of wildlife conservation and be part of the strong and growing international research body at the university. Serving on the IWC panel is an illustration of how we work and share knowledge to make a positive difference on the world around us through innovative and applied practice.

“In relation to wildlife conservation, monitoring and assessing underwater sound and noise is crucial. We need to learn and understand how this human-made noise disrupts the behaviour, health, and essential life processes of marine mammals.”
The University of Cumbria inaugural professional lecture series showcases the research specialisms of its recently appointed professors and gives them public recognition for achieving academic distinction and reputation in their chosen field
Volker’s lecture will take place from 4.30pm to 7pm on Wednesday March 20 at the university’s Ambleside campus.
Free tickets can be reserved by visiting https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/events/