Marine mammal biologist and conservation professional with more than 30 years of international experience in marine wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, research, and sanctuary management. Extensive background in marine mammal husbandry, stranding response networks, necropsy, conservation policy, and public education. Proven leader of multidisciplinary teams in aquaria, sanctuaries, and wildlife rescue centers across North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. Dedicated to advancing marine conservation through research, rescue operations, education, and policy development

From Strandings to Conservation: Establishing a Coordinated Marine Wildlife Response Network in Norway:                                                                                                                                                  

Marine mammal strandings provide important opportunities for immediate animal welfare intervention, scientific investigation, and public engagement, while also presenting logistical, safety, and communication challenges. In Norway, the extensive and geographically complex coastline creates particular difficulties in ensuring timely and standardized responses to stranded marinewildlife. Havdyrhjelpen was established to address these challenges through the development of a coordinated, community-based marine wildlife response network integrating animal welfare, scientific monitoring, responder training, and conservation education. This presentation describes the development and implementation of Havdyrhjelpen, including the establishment of standardized stranding-response procedures, volunteer training and competency development, field assessment and documentation protocols, animal handling and welfare practices, and collaboration with veterinary, academic, governmental, and community partners. The model is designed to increase local response capacity while maintaining appropriate professional oversight for complex cases involving live strandings, large cetaceans, disentanglement, rehabilitation, and post-mortem investigations. An important component of the initiative is the integration of public participation with scientific and conservation objectives. Training local responders and community members increases the capacity to identify and report strandings, facilitates earlier intervention, and promotes safe interactions between the public and stranded animals. Educational activities further provide opportunities to increase knowledge of Norwegian marine biodiversity and the ecological and anthropogenic factors associated with marine wildlife strandings. Havdyrhjelpen also aims to improve the scientific value of stranding events through standardized data collection, biological sampling, necropsy procedures, and collaboration with research institutions. These activities can contribute to improved understanding of species distribution, health, mortality patterns, disease, anthropogenic threats, and other factors affecting marine wildlife populations. The presentation will discuss the rationale, development, operational framework, and emerging impacts of avdyrhjelpen, with particular emphasis on the interrelationship between animal welfare, scientific knowledge, community engagement, and marine conservation. The initiative illustrates how a coordinated regional response structure can use individual stranding events not only for immediate welfare intervention, but also as opportunities for research, education, capacity building, and long-term conservation.

Keywords: Marine mammal strandings · Animal welfare · Conservation · Citizen science · Community engagement · Stranding response · Norway · Marine wildlife