ABSTRACT
Marine mammals have always fascinated people with their sheer size and their specialized anatomy and physiology. Today, this fascination is reflected in the number of facilities that keep marine mammals, increasing marine mammal watching opportunities, and increased research on different aspects of the biology of marine mammals. This has resulted in increased contact between humans and marine mammals in some areas. In contrast, in polar regions, contact between humans and marine mammals has occurred for centuries. Marine mammals have always represented crucial resources for the approximately four million people of the Arctic, as a source of food and other materials, such as blubber (food and oil), fur, leather, baleen, and teeth. Through these various types of contact with marine mammals, infectious diseases may be transferred.
