For years he has been recording and monitoring the behaviour of pilots, bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales to understand the population dynamics and how the species interact.

Zaeschmar has recorded food sharing between false killer whales and dolphins, and interactions that seem to suggest that the pairing is mutually beneficial—a relationship that is rare among cetaceans.

The ocean is a space without hard lines or natural borders. Migratory species come and go, making marine protected areas with fixed boundaries oddly irrelevant. Instead, scientists are looking at dynamic protected areas that move with seasons to better match the range and behaviour of migratory species.