E40 — Lisa T. Ballance: Dolphins, Tuna, and the Whales We’ve Never Seen

In this episode of Naturally Scott, Scott Harris is joined by Lisa T. Ballance, Director of the Marine Mammal Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from personal history to some of the most consequential marine science of the past half-century.

Ballance explains how her career in ecology and conservation biology led her into the heart of the tuna–dolphin controversy in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, where massive purse-seine fisheries once killed millions of dolphins and reshaped global seafood policy. Scott and Lisa discover that their lives briefly intersected during the late 1980s, when public pressure, undercover documentation, and consumer action helped force the creation of the dolphin-safe tuna label.

From there, the conversation turns toward the edge of scientific knowledge. Ballance describes her work searching for cryptic cetaceans — species so elusive they were known only from stranded remains — including the first confirmed sightings of ginkgo-toothed beaked whales alive in the wild. She also shares the extraordinary effort to locate and genetically sample the rare Type D killer whale in the Southern Ocean, a population so distinct it may represent an entirely new species.

Along the way, Ballance reflects on how science advances at the limits of uncertainty, the unintended consequences of well-intentioned conservation, and why humility and persistence matter when studying animals that live far beyond human reach.

Lisa’s book recommendation: Merchants of Doubt.

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