Newsroom

NEWPORT - The work of Oregon State University marine mammal expert Bruce Mate has been featured in a much-acclaimed BBC production called "Blue Planet," which is airing on the Discovery Channel.

The eight-part series focuses on marine life and processes in the world's oceans. Mate, a pioneer in using satellites to track tagged marine mammals - especially endangered whale species - works out of OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ore.

The episode that included Mate actually ran last Sunday, ahead of schedule, but will be rerun on Friday, Feb. 1, as part of a four-hour block on the Discovery Channel. It begins at 7 p.m.

In part one of the series, called "Ocean World," Mate is seen tagging blue whales during an October 2000 cruise off the Farallon Islands. Series narrator David Attenborough was aboard during the filming.

"Sir David Attenborough was charming and wonderful, and the BBC film crew was great to work with," Mate said. "Our research has focused on finding the critical habitats of blue whales, including where they breed and calve, in the hopes that we can reduce the impact of human activities on their recovery."