Climate crisis, acoustic and marine pollution, marine traffic, loss of natural habitat and overfishing are factors that put at risk the future of many populations of marine mammals. If conservation measures do not improve, some populations could reach a point of no return. The future of marine mammals, regarding both conservation and research, visited the city of Barcelona in December 2019 at the first World Marine Mammal Conference (WMMC 2019), organized by the University of Barcelona and SUBMON Association.