Research on wild cetaceans involves biopsy sampling, tagging, and observational approaches with welfare implications that conservation benefit must justify.
Cetacean research welfare requires balancing conservation knowledge benefits against individual animal costs: biopsy sampling causes brief acute pain that is justified by the genetic and health data produced; satellite tagging involves attachment methods that may cause chronic irritation; acoustic research from vessels causes aversion responses. The welfare justification for research procedures requires genuine necessity and genuine effort to minimise harm. The availability of non-invasive methods (photo-ID, environmental DNA, drone observation) should reduce resort to more invasive approaches.