As you might know, we are the stranding response team for the Big Bend area of Florida. This means that if a stranding (live or dead) of a marine mammal occurs, or if a marine mammal is found in distress, we are the ones that are called to the scene. One benefit of our research area is that things like that rarely, if ever, happen. Dolphins do die (more…)

I’d heard before arriving here quite a bit about Solovetsky Island’s small peninsula where the Beluga observatory tower now stands.  Jake Levenson at IFAW had told me about how this spot is unique as it is the only place in the world where Belugas can be observed so close to the shore.
But there’s no substitute for experiencing something first hand:  My curiosity has been piqued.  And my questions (more…)

Jamison and I spent today traveling to several fishing villages with Dr. Omar Amir from the Marine Conservation Unit of the Tanzania Department of Fisheries.  Our goal was to meet the fishermen that attended our bycatch workshop and see their gear first hand so we could help them implement weak links.
When weak links, hog rings, and staples are not in place, the results of a whale meeting fishing (more…)

By the time Don succeeded in getting an image on screen of the Belugas, it was past 3 p.m. Famished, we abandoned him at the tower in search of a hot meal. Don stoically stayed behind to ensure that the camera continued to operate with no kinks.
The rest of us returned to find hot chicken soup waiting for us on the stove. Sasha (the student) (more…)

I awoke at 7 a.m. and immediately wondered about the Beluga underwater camera.  Had Don, who is IFAW’s underwater camera expert, and Volodiya, the Beluga whale project’s on-site scientist, succeeded in the middle of the night in getting a high-definition image of the Belugas?
Volodiya, whose tent is nearest to mine, heard me zipping my tent open and came over immediately.
“Can you go wake up Don?  We need to (more…)