"So, When Do We Move On From This?"

Hey Team!

Sorry for the silence. Being home has been quiet. Too quiet for me. I've gone back to old jobs, picked up a new one, but I am feeling very much liked a beached whale - out of my home element and slightly crushed beneath the enormous weight of my future.

It's only been just over a month since I've been home, but I am feeling super out of it all. I'm hoping not to do another internship, but jobs are scarce and competition is high. And grad school opens a whole new can of questions about the who, what and where of it all.

Sometimes it feels like it would be so much easier to do... well, pretty much anything else.

Which some people in my life seem to think is the next step. Rather than just sitting back and letting me do my thing (which I am trying to, really I am), there are people in my life that still seem to think that this is a phase of my life.

I joke a lot about how people always say to me "I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was a kid" when I tell them what I do. Most kids go through a phase where they want to connect to animals as their dream job. But they grow up and turn towards more suitable jobs that family, friends or general society tell them would be better for them.

So I think some people believe that I'm just still in that kid phase. That one day I will grow up, snap out of it, put on the suit and head into an office or a operation room or a class room for the rest of my life.

So I was talking about my current predicament and someone who I always thought understood me and my life says, in the straightest of voices, I swear to you, "So, when do we move on from this?" meaning  - when do we give up on this whole marine biology dream and do something worthwhile with your life?

Let me tell you - there is no moving on. There is nothing more worthwhile. I may never own a house or go on expensive vacations or be able to retire at a reasonable age, but I don't really care. Because I am going to wake up every morning in whatever shack I end up living in, and want to get on my bike and go to work everyday until I die because there is no plan B.

This is my life. Either get on board or jump ship. Come Hell or high water, this captain will sink or swim with her ship of dreams.

Enough cheesy water lines,
Speak Loud!

Hi from Home!

Hey Team!

So I'm back home on the prairies :( The season is coming to an end for MICS, and they figured they would send me home when they planned, because there wasn't enough god weather days to keep me on. I learned so much while I was out there, about whales, research and most importantly about myself and where I want my future to lead.

The biggest thing is that I think I might be done with unpaid internships. I have loved my life the past two years, if my posts are any indication about how much fun I've been having, they are nothing compared to real life. But at a certain point you realize that you want certain things in life - like not living with your parents - and those things cost money. Money you can't make if you're not getting paid.

So now I have a couple choices - I am applying for jobs as they come up, and working part time at home to feed my fun and friend addictions at home, as well my travel addiction on a more minor level. I have to figure out if I want to get a full-time-rent-paying job here in the city not in my field, or just putt around until something related shows up.

With all the dumb luck I've had over the years, maybe the opportunity will come up sooner than expected. Until then, this blog will hopefully be updated with reviews of movies, books, tv shows, as well as anything else that sparks my interest. It's constantly evolving and changing, just like me!

The weather is getting colder, I sure wish I had a layer of blubber sometimes. Stay warm both on and off the water!

Speak Loud!

Mega-Facts on Megaptera

Humpback whales are some of the most popular, most celebrated and most studied species of whale on the planet. Here are some fun facts which totally validates all that.

1. Their scientific name is Megaptera noveanglia - meaning "Big-winged from New England". We're very creative.
2. They are a rorqual species of whale. The group is defined by the large grooves on the bottom of mouth, allowing their mouths to open like an accordion.
3. Humpbacks have longest pectoral fin-to-body ration of any whale - up to one third of their body length.
4. Why so long? Long fins allow for graceful manoeuvrability under and over the water
5. They love to breach! Breaching is a fairly common whale behaviour, where the animals throw themselves out of the water and come crashing down. There is no sight more amazing. I had the chance to watch one breach something like ten times in a row - utterly spectacular.
6. The 'humpback' in their name comes from the hump-like dorsal fin on most individuals, as well as small humps along the spine between the dorsal fin and tail.
7. They migrate! In the summer they inhale as much food as possible in cold northern waters, then they head south for the winter mating and breeding season.
8. Humpbacks are probably best known for their mad singing skills! They are the only whales to properly "sing" - in tune and everything! Only males sing though, and only at the winter breeding grounds.
9. Researchers are pretty sure it has something to do with mating (because what isn't, really), but nothing is definitive. Some think it actually has more to do with communicating to other males than with females.
10. In the summer they eat a lot  of krill and small schooling fish (capelin, herring etc.). Unlike some of their relatives, humpbacks aren't really picky eaters!
11. Humpbacks also have one of the coolest ways of catching fish! In a group effort, they'll blow bubbles out of their blowholes to surround and ensnare schools of fish, then swim up through the nets to get a good mouthful of fish. This is called bubble netting, and is crazy to watch!
12. Individuals can be identified using the patterning on the underside of their flukes (tail fins). Each one has a black and white pattern that is unique to an animal. The variation in the amount of white and black is used to ID an animals, as well as the edge of their tail, which have a natural raggedy to them.
13. They're big animals, about the size of a bus. Which seems pretty big, unless you compare them to the other whales in the rorqual family, which includes the blue whale and the fin whale. Now those are big whales!
14. the "moles" or "warts" on their faces are commonly known as tubercules - no one really knows what they are for, but they have little hairs on them, which makes scientists think they are sensory, and might help them with the search for fish.
15. As a big whale species, they used to be a target of the whaling industry. While whaling of humpbacks is banned in most places, some countries still hunt them, but in very small, highly managed quantities

So there you go! Some things to keep you interested in an interesting species of cetacean!

Minke Stranding!

I sort of feel kind of guilty for how exciting today was, because sometimes I think "dead whale" shouldn't make me a happy as it does, but today, it kind of did. I might be a bad person.

Anyway, today there was a stranded minke a little west of us, and MICS is the stranding response unit, so we got to go check it out!

Size has become such a relative thing. In reality, minkes are big animals. Like, probably 2 cows worth of animal. But compared to seeing humpbacks and fin whales, I knew the animal we saw was "tiny". Oh what a life I lead.

So we got there, and it's pouring rain. Makes it hard to take any kind of notes in the rain. Fortunately the rain did stop eventually, but not before getting every piece of paper we had sopping wet, and all the sharpies stop working. Oy.

We got there, took the total length measurement of the minke, then started taking our samples. Eight samples of muktuk (blubber and skin. They don't call it that here, that's just what the Inuit call it) from up and down the body, an entire jaws worth of baleen, plus a little bit of skin for isotope analysis. An extra sample of muktuk and a piece of our baleen for DFO, and we called it a day. It was a quick response because the rain made it impossible to take lots of measurements (we really had nowhere to write them down) and a little animal like that didn't need a whole lot of samples taken. A whole bunch of photos though, while praying that the camera doesn't get too damaged in the rain.

I didn't get to touch the minke (wah!) because I was taking photos of the samples, and you need clean hands to touch the camera.

We left it there, and hopefully the seagulls will help with the decomposition process. I'm not quite sure if they'll do anything with the body or just leave it up to mother nature.

All I know is I smell, my clothes are in the wash, my rain jacket might never be the same, and that is the biggest dead animal I have ever worked with. Can only go up from here!

And on a totally random note, I got my first ride on an ATV today! It was kind of fun, I have to admit!

Due to the nature of the photos, and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post them because of fun people like PETA, I'm not putting any photos of the minke up here (I really don't want to get in trouble!). Sorry guys!!!

Speak Loud!

Conservation vs. Research(vation)

Hey Team!

This post is actually a year in the making. Because last year I did an internship with a conservation group, rather than all my others, which have been research based.

And there is a big difference between the type of work they do, and the people who do it. And I sort of wanted to touch on those differences here. Because research work isn't for everyone, but neither is conservation. So maybe use this as a way to help decide which is right for you (if, you know, you're reading this as a way to help continue your future in marine biology).

So, research. It's about asking questions. Keeping up with the latest news in the field and figuring out what the next step is in the pursuit of knowledge. Most biologists are just trying to figure out the world around them.

Conservation is about doing something with the answers that researchers have found. It's one thing to find out that whales are sick but what are we going to do about it? As the world is being figured out, we need to put that figuring into action.

The people are different as well. To be a biologist, you probably need at least one degree in, you know, biology. Do to research, you probably want a one of those too. At least some kind of science degree is a must. Chemistry, physics, geology, all important.

Not for conservation. Anyone with any background can do conservation work, though it would help if you had some bit of background in what you are conserving, but you don't need an entire degree for it. Marketing and business, law, even an arts degree is completely okay if you want to go into conservation. In fact, different background of education mean that people bring different ideas towards their conservation efforts, which can be useful!

This next one is very generalizing, and not true for each and every researcher, but for the most part, researchers would rather not deal with the general public, at all. They'd even rather not deal with other scientists every once in a while. But they have to, mostly for funding reasons.

Conservationists have to deal with the public on a regular basis, so they should probably like it. A big part of wildlife conservation is prevention and awareness - letting people know what they can do to protect their local (and global) wildlife. It's also fundraising, petitioning, rallying - all having to deal with ordinary people on the street. It takes a particular kind of person to be able to swallow retorts as the ignorant come out of the woodwork. So unless you have a strong filter on you, I'd stay away from conservation.

If you're going to go into research, don't do it because "you love whales" or "always wanted to see a killer whale". Do it because science fascinates you  Do it because you want to know more. This isn't an ecotour of whales or the safari or the rainforest. This is real work. For some, it doesn't matter what species they work on, it's the techniques and the methods that they care about. That is research.

That isn't to say that researchers don't love their research species. Some of the best really do. But it's more about what we can learn from them, rather than the "prettiness", "cuteness" or "coolness" of the animal.

I've known since before I can remember that I want to work with whales. I've known since second year university that I want to work with blue whales. But that's not what any potential Masters supervisor cares about. What they care about is my skill set, and my determination to do science. Any science, so long as it's science.

Conservation is begging for passionate people. Save whales because you love whales! Stop the poaching of elephants if you love elephants! Get involved because where scientists need to keep some professional distance from their research species, conservationists get to put all the emotion into it, because that's what interests and holds an audience captive!

I want to end on things they have in common. It's the people who are most passionate about nature and the world around them that get involved in both. These people, for the most part, love hiking, camping, eating organically and locally, and just being outdoors as much as humanly possible.

They are also in it for the animals. Although almost all the funding comes from "how does this affect humans" kind of sources, they are really all in it because of the animals, and because this Earth would be a pretty awful place to live without them.

Another thing they have in common - there is no money to be made in either. If you promised your mother you'd find a job that would keep you comfortable for the rest of your life, you better get out now.

If you promised your mother you'd find a job that tried to make a real difference in this world, then stick around and get ready for ramen.

Speak Loud!

Go Greased Lightening!

Why do my hands feel so greasy and why do they smell so weird?

Kidding, they don't, I've washed them a bunch of times, but they did for a while there because I helped clean the boat stem to stern so we could put it away for the winter. So much grease and scrubbing and taking apart of things.

Even if it was cold and grey out today, a perfect day to stay indoors curled up with blankets, being out and active was so much better than being inside in front of my computer. I started with some photo matching this morning and could barely see straight, so I am happy that most of my day was spent being busy, albeit cold and wet.

Speak Loud!

A Little Info Fo' You!

Hey!

So, it's so sad to think about, but I'm soon going to have to go home. I know, I'm crying. But before I go, I think I should tell you guys a bit more about where I am at.

The Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) was founded in 1979 by Richard Sears, who was originally in the St. Lawrence estuary to study salmon, but then noticed all the blue whales in the Gulf. Like the rest of us, he was hooked.

Soon after he figured out how to identify blue whales by their mottling pattern on their backs. Yes my friends, this guy invented a way to ID blue whales. And so MICS was born. It used to be just a little museum in the living room of a little blue house (where the team lives now), and now, in Longue-Pointe de Mingan, it's a large research station, shared with Parks Canada, with research offices upstairs and a beautiful museum downstairs.

As a source of income, MICS does interpretations in the museum, where the public can come in and learn all about the rorquals of the Gulf of the St. Lawrence and the research that we do. We invite them to ask tons of questions and learn as much as we can teach them. Awareness is the first step to change.

After (or before) their interpretation they can peruse the boutique and buy something either very cute, very beautiful or very cheesy that has a whale on it.

Now, I love museums. And talking. And teaching people. So this seems like it would be perfect for me, right? Yes... except for the fact that all the "public" they get in are French. So, not so perfect for me. I just get to stare longingly at the museum and hear it whimper "Interpret me, I'm so lonely...".

Okay, I might be going a little crazy. Well, crazier. I'm already pretty far gone.

I don't want to spoil too much of the station because, well, everyone should spend so many hours getting here to get the interpretation in person! And if you're my friend you probably want it in English! Yay!

Speak Loud!

When the Sky is Grey

Hey Team!

So the title of this post is a little misleading - we don't just to office work when the skies are grey and cloudy, that would mean a lot of office days! In fact, cloudy days are some of the best days to get out on the water, because there's no sun for that horrible glare!

But on days were it's too windy, too foggy or too rainy to be out on the water, we head over for a day in the station.

There are a bunch of things I've gotten a chance to work on here, and I'm going to try to explain them.

First, data:

The work here has been going on for a long time, and there is a lot of data. Data from the boats, data from the biopsies - a lot. So as often as possible, a couple people sit down and put all the data that was recorded on the water, which has already been transcribed into logbooks for the shelves, into digital data to be stored electronically. I don't think I've ever known a project to be up-to-date with data entry, and this one is no different - we would like to finish 2008 before the end of the season.

Second, photos:

This one is has multiple parts. First there is always matching. Always. I explained in this post what sort of photos we try to take, and while time individuals are known straight away on the water, there are lots that aren't, and we have to figure out if we already have them in the catalogue or if they are new individuals. It's rather a subtle art, one that I am in no way perfect at, but once and a while I get it totally right (like here). Which means I'm learning!

Second, up until about 2007, most of the photos taken here were film. Which means that they had to be developed and stored. Now with all our fancy-schmancy technology, they are scanning in the negatives from decades past and storing them digitally, so we can actually try to use them for matching.

I need to say though, that some of these photos are just horrible to look at, I don't know how anyone could see the small details that differentiate one whale from another, but they do and they did for decades before I cam around. Those are the true artists, my friends, true artists.

Back on topic though. So negatives have to be scanned and labelled, and all the information about the photos have to also be stored on the computer. Which means sitting with the negatives and the logbooks and making sure everything lines up pretty. It takes a lot of concentration and a lot of time to make sure you don't miss information, but once it's done, it's done!

Usually one of the main jobs of interns here is to do interpretations of the museum that they also have here. It's an awesome place, I'll try to write about it next week (I want to take pictures for the post!), but because it can't get any more French then where I am now, I have been practically useless in the museum. Interns also usually work in the boutique and help set up day trips (people who come out on the boats for one day, and get to watch us do our research. Sort of like whale watching, but with more science!). But again, as a very deeply rooted Anglophone, I am useless. Plus it's the end of the season, so the day trips have ended anyway.

The others here, sometimes interns included, usually have other projects that they are working on as well, so that fills their time. As someone with a very unstable future and limited means of figuring things out, I have had a bit more spare time around the lab to do personal things, like write this blog!

So the station days aren't the most exciting or most interesting, and sometimes I am so happy for the invention of the internet and all it's means of procrastinating. But it comes with the territory of scientific research, and at least I can look forward to the day I'm back on the water again.

When I try to explain to people why I do what I do, one of the things I say is I can't imagine life at a desk job. But then I have to remind myself that 80-90% of this job is a desk job. But I think in part it's what we get to do at our desks that can make it so cool - learn and discover new things. And then of course there's the big wall calendar (or the countdown that a calendar would symbolize) that let's us count down the days until we are back in the field again. The adrenaline of being out on the water helps carry you through the desk days.

Speak Loud!

Matched a Blue!

I matched a blue whale today! From the Baja catalogue, for a scientist that wants to see if we know any of the blues he's been studying.

BB006. I finally got a chance to feel like I know what I'm doing!

Speak Loud!

Tied to the Ocean

Hey Team!

So while I've been posting (and back-posting) all the cool things I've seen while out here at MICS, I haven't really explained to you what I've been doing out here at MICS. My bad. Here it goes.

There's two parts to this job: on land and on sea. So this post will try to explain a typical boat day. Although first disclaimer is that nothing, nothing, about this job is ever typical.

So first at the crack of dawn we have to check the weather. Wind and rain are the biggest factors, because one effects our ability to, you know, drive around and both effects our ability to, you know, see. If we get lucky, the wind is only going to get up to 20 knots (37 kph), and the rain might hold off until late afternoon, so we can go out!

We pack up tons of gear: camera, hydrophone, safety bag, life jackets, crossbow, biospy bag, faeces scooper, radio, GPS; and we drive down to the dock. Stick it all on on the boat, latch it down and drive off. If visibility is good, we start "survey mode" where we just stare out over the water and, well, survey. We note the time and position of any marine mammal we come across (seals, porpoises, dolphins, minke whales), but we are really looking for the bigg'uns: humpback, fin and blue whales.

First sad bit of my time here: no blues have been seen on the north shore in the past two years. They are all on the south shore. So no blues for me :(

Now, I've had to do surveys before. I'll harken you back to my time in Florida where I had to survey for dolphins. In those cases, you're looking for flashes of grey across the water, tiny dorsal fins moving quickly.

Not with these animals. With large baleen whales, you're looking for blow, or spout. These massive towers of water and mucus when the animal exhales out of the water. In blue whales, they can be as tall as 6m!

As soon as we see the blow, or any other evidence of the animal, we switch into "photo-ID mode". There, we get the camera out and try to take a decent photo of the animal. With humpbacks, it's about their dorsal fin and fluke. Fin whales, it's the chevron (a swirling pattern just after their blowhole on the top of their head) and dorsal fin. In blue whales, it's the front part before their dorsal fin and their dorsal. We try not to follow them too much, because we don't want to bug them, but most of the data collected isn't worth much if we don't know who the individual is.


Humpback whales

North Pacific white-sided dolphin

North Pacific white-sided dolphin

Humback whale

Minke whale

Humpback

Fin whale

Fin whale

Also in photo-ID mode, we sometimes take biopsies. This is a little piece of skin and blubber that we can analyse for genetic information, sex determination and contaminant levels. The biopsies are taken with a biopsy arrow, shot using a crossbow. The only reason I learned how to shoot a gun was to prep for biopsies!

It sounds scary and painful, but for these massive creatures, it's like a mosquito bite. Studies show that on average, they don't react to the biopsy and I don't even think there has ever been an occurrence of the "wound" getting infected. So for the amount of data we can get out of them, they are very much worth the effort.

Usually I take the notes on the boat, time and position of events and the species we see or deal with. I have had practice driving the boats, although I'm still nervous to try anything over a sea state of 2. I haven't had the chance to take any legit photos, but the end of the season this year is unusually poor weather and few whales, so the opportunity has been slim.

I'm still being really positive about it though. This is more than I have ever dreamed it to be, and these animals are more than I could have ever imagined. I sometimes worry that with all the build up I'll bet disappointed, but today is not that day.

The days can be long, about 8 hours on the boat, although that's really an average day, the longest days being about 12-12.5 hours. But I compare it to other jobs, and even in the worst sea states with the rain and the wind and no whales anywhere, it's still better than a desk job. Every day of the week.

Speak Loud!

Fin Whale!

Saw a fin whale today!! I cannot believe how big he was! F028, Topper, is an old, MASSIVE fin whale!

It was beautiful, even if the sea wasn't. Sea state 3, swell of just over 1 metre, in a flat-bottomed boat. I can barely move my back today. That'll teach me to not stretch before bed.

It was a bit of a sailor/biologist fail of a day for me, I couldn't really focus on the water because I was too busy trying to keep myself stable. But for some strange reason I was rewarded with a fin whale.

Life is weird sometimes.

Speak Loud!

Biopsy!

Got to watch a successful biopsy today! And went on a nice nature "hike" on Quarry Island. The coast is so beautiful!

No matter the weather, being out on the water is always the better alternative. Always.

Let Me Tell You Something About the Ocean

Let me tell you something about the ocean, and why I love it so much.

The last couple weeks we've been on and off the water, at the mercy of the weather. Some days out have been flat calm, freakishly so. Most are a little rough, but nothing too hard to handle. A couple have been rough. Pretty darn rough. Halfway up the sea state scale rough. Rain, waves, swell... not pretty.

But I love it. Every. Single. Moment.

And I want to tell you why.

There are many biomes in the world. Rainforest, tundra, desert, prairie. And the ocean.

The ocean is my absolute favourite.

Since I was young, "small" has never really been a word used to describe me. In any sense. My personality has always been somewhat too large for myself, and my voice and opinions... well, they've never been good at keeping to themselves. My room is always messy. I needed a double desk in high school to spread out all my books and papers. I need two screens for my laptop just to finish assignments.

I love open space.

And I don't think it gets any more open than the ocean.

Growing up in the prairies, open space is not a new concept to me. You drive about 10 minutes outside the city and you get fields and fields of tall-grass prairie or farmer's fields. The space is vast and inviting. But still, off in the horizon, you see a small forest of trees. Or a long stretch of powerlines. Fields are separated by farmsteads and machinery, and the occasional cow.

All of a sudden, my vast expanse of earth is getting cluttered. And I can see everything that is there, right on the surface.

Terrain: 0, Ocean: 1.

Once you get past any islands close to shore, the open ocean is flawless. Wide, open space going on forever. Nothing to mark the surface.

And then it goes down.

The ocean is a three dimensional world of it's own. The vast space is not just on the surface, but under the surface as well. It just goes on in every direction in three dimensions forever.

So when I am standing on the shore, or especially on a boat, I love the feeling of immensity around me. Some people have to look at the starts to feel small, but I just need a shoreline.

Another thing I absolutely love is how completely unpredictable she can be. The sea is a fickle creature, not one to be patronized. And I'm not even talking day-to-day changes, that's just weather. I'm talking hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute changes. And yes, you get crazy weather on land too, but the difference is that on land, the change is in the wind, and rain and such. On the water, it not only changes the air around you, but the surface on which you're standing. It's incredible if you think about it! On land, no matter how hard it's raining or how fast the wind if blowing, the ground stays firm and flat under your feet (obviously not in all cases: see sandstorms, blizzards on the snow and mudslides). It's completely the opposite on the water. And to me, that makes it totally spectacular.

Have you been so overwhelmed by beauty that you just want to scream? If not, I feel sorry for you, it's one of the best feelings to ever experience. I have that feeling every time I am near the ocean.

So in case you were wondering, that's my take on why I love the ocean so much more than anything else in this world.

Speak Loud!

Seriously, when did heaven get a beach?

Hey Team!

So, I am here! Longue-Pointe de Mingan, working for the Mingan Island Cetacean Study , and honestly, I don't think I've ever been happier. It's a little cold, but that's how summer has been in Canada this year. Otherwise, the town is darling, the people are friendly, the work is interesting and the sea days...

there are no words to describe the experiences I'm having out on the water.

These whales are the most amazing creatures I have ever seen. And I've just been dealing with humpbacks. I don't know what I would do if I came across a fin or blue (which I'm told is not too likely to happen anymore. Sad, as this is a big reason why I'm here).

This has definitely been feeling really, really right. I'm only 2 weeks in, still the "honeymoon" phase of things, but sometimes I think when you know, you know. I don't really believe in love at first sight, but maybe now I'm more of a believer.

There will be detailed posts about the station, the boat days, the office days and fun facts about the animals I get the privilege of studying. It's such a short internship, and I have to start thinking about the next step right now, but for the moment I just want to soak up the experience.

That's it for me. Keep an eye on the blog for posts going forward (and maybe a couple going backwards too!)

Speak Loud!

An Amazing Day!

Calm seas, drove the boat for almost half the day, a porpoise paradise, white-sided dolphins wanted to play.... 

and the most AMAZING humpback whale breaches!! You know those videos you see with the angelic choir singing as a whale lifts itself out of the water, pirouettes in the air and lands in a resounding splash??

Yeah, that's my life now.

I know there's a lot of you in the world that don't believe, but today, I saw the work that G-d can do. One of the best shabbats of my life. Shavuah tov everyone! Have a most splendid week!

Speak Loud!

Active Animals!

I drove the boat and saw a humpback whale "tail breach" today!! Totally makes up for all the rain and wind and waves on the way out!

Speak Loud!

They were THIS Close!

More humpbacks today! An 8 hour day on the water, a Cow and Calf pair (mom and baby) and OHMYGERD THEY CAME SO CLOSE TO THE BOAT!!! We were waiting for them to come up for air and all of a sudder they were right beside the boat!! Restarted my heart, that's for sure!!

Also, grey seals.

Speak Loud!

First Day in Mingan!

First day on the boat! 

Nothing like a sea state of 4 (on a scale from 0-9; 0 being so calm you could use the surface to put your makeup on, 9 being a tsunami in a thunderstorm with the Kraken) to get your sealegs up a running!

But more importantly... HUMPBACK WHALES!!! Honest-to-goodness-real-life-right-in-front-of-my-face HUMPBACK WHALES!!!

Of you thought orcas were big...

Also minke whales, North Atlantic white-sided dolphins and harbour porpoises. T'was a good, good day!

Speak Loud!

TV in Review: Shark Week 2013

SHARK WEEK

RAWR! This past week was shark week on Discovery channel. One of the few times that all of us who love marine mammals seriously consider switching professions. One of the few times where people are rooting for the predator. One of the few times we can laugh at the stupidity of people around wild animals without feeling like traitors.

This year, however, was severely disappointing. Discovery Channel, once upon a time you were a channel for learning and, well, discovery. Now I'm surprised you haven't picked up Jersey Shore.

The shows they did for shark week were all show, little to no learning. In fact, to kick it off, they played a "documentary" about scientists going on the "hunt" for the Megalodon, an ancient shark species thought to be extinct.

Except their scientists were paid actors. Their "shark expert" was a shark filmographer. And their evidence... was staged.

I mean, what the heck!? At least have the decency not to besmirch the good name of marine biologists everywhere, who were watching this saying "this is the least scientifically accurate show I've ever seen."

And it didn't stop there. These shows were all about the sights and sounds and a couple explosions. What happened to educating people on sharks, and also getting to watch some dramatized re-enactments of shark attacks that, oh I don't know, actually happened??

Sprinkled in were some standing favourites of DC, including Mythbusters and River Monsters, and at least those held some science, as much as they usually do, but they have the disclaimers that they are not real scientists and that's not the true point of their shows.

Shark Week 2013, you were a major dissapointment. Not too sure if I'll be interested in 2014.

And I'll stick with my whales, thank you very much.

Speak Loud!

That Update that Should Have Happened a While Ago...

Hey Team!

Wow, it's been a really really long time! I apologize profusely! I could say have been hectic, but honestly, I've just struggled getting motivated to write on this thing.

So I left you all in April... wow! May was spent travelling, no real science there. Although I did go to a couple great museums/zoos. Reviews may come soon, stay tuned. I landed at home right before the beginning of June and started to worry about finding a job for the summer, because I knew I was leaving sooner than most places would like. One fun fact about me, I have no experience in "first jobs", like food service, retail or even barista! Which makes finding basic summer jobs that will be okay hiring me for 10 weeks or so a challenge. But I was teaching swimming every once and a while, and I figured life would take care of me.

And take care of me it did! For no good reason other than I could, I applied for a summer position at the Manitoba Museum in their Collections and Conservation Department. Now, I have a lot of experience at the MM,  but all of it is out in the public eye, and usually has a lot to do with children. This job would tuck me out of sight and out of mind. Not something I'm used to, but what could it hurt? I applied and forgot about it.

Well two weeks and an interview later, I got the job! With a flexible end time it has turned out to be the exact opportunity I needed! And I can put off learning valuable working skills (can I get you more coffee?) for another couple months.

I'm five weeks in, only four to go until I head off to Quebec for what I'm hoping is the best and most life-changing internship to date. This internship has the potential to completely change my life, and will help point me in the right direction. But no expectations or pressure.

So I've made this list before, one day it might actually happen...

• Review of Museum in Ottawa/Zoo in DC
• Differences in Conservation and Research
• A look into my job here at the Manitoba Museum (I swear it has connections to marine biology)
• An announcement of some VERY exciting news!

If any of this sounds remotely interesting, please stay tuned! If I can get my priorities straight, I should have all these done before I get to Longue-Pointe de Mingan!

Speak Loud!

End of Year Two

Happy Anniversary everyone!

Two years of adventures, uncertainty, insanity and being very, very wet. Thanks for coming along for the ride and for at least pretending I'm interesting.

No one knows what the future holds, especially one who has tied her future to the ocean, but whatever does come will be exactly what it should be.

And hopefully what it should be is filled with whales.

Are you ready for Year Three?

Speak Loud!

Museum in Review: Canadian Museum of Nature

Hey Team!

So when I'm not being a marine biologist, I wear many, many different hats. Including a guide at the Manitoba Museum in the youth programs. All just a long way of saying I know my museums and what makes them good, and what makes them bad.

And let me tell you, the Canadian Museum of Nature is good.

I know that as a national museum, they probably get a lot of funding. Which lets them maintain the museum and keep all the amazing species and specimens that are contained inside that building. But what impressed me the most was the educational supplementary material all around the museum.

First, the diversity of the museum: a dinosaur hall, following through into prehistoric mammals and then their modern counterparts. Lots of skeletons, lots of models and lots of information! Both for adults and kids, this museum is really here to teach the public about the natural world around them!

dinosaur skeletons

Dinosaur models

Polar bear model

My favourite hall, of course, was the ocean hall. I don't think I could have imagined a museum design better for teaching people about the oceans. It helps them though that they have a baby blue whale skeleton as their centrepiece.

Baby blue whale skeleton

And while we're at it, let's show people a world they've never imagined. Thermal vents on the ocean floor: a true alien world!

Diorama of a thermal vent

 And of course, it wouldn't be a Canadian museum if we didn't mention the Arctic... with an entire kids-friendly interpretive area where they get to "be researchers in the Arctic "in a "real research vessel". I didn't grow up with any of this, I'm terrified to think what would have happened if I did.

Model of a beluga in the Arctic research kids centre

 And finally, a game to teach kids about water conservation. Thank you Canada!

A dice and piece game teaching kids all about water conservation

Add a geology hall and lots of pretty gemstones to the end, and you have an outstanding museum that I think really hit it out of the park. Not to mention the beautiful building it's all housed in, and the very friendly staff that work there.

If you are in Ottawa and it's a gross day outside, take the opportunity to go through the Canadian Museum of Nature. I can guarantee you'll learn something!

Speak Loud!

their website: http://nature.ca/en/home

At the end

Hey Team,

So here I am, my second last day of my internship in Croatia. Unfortunately it wasn't the most exciting internship. On the water, our main job was to watch for dolphins, monitor dolphins during a sighting, and to take the waypoints every five minutes during the sighting. It was very similar to what I did in Florida here. In the office, it was a lot of little jobs here and there, some photo-ID, data entry, even trips to the post office and on one very long day, a lot of yard work and cleaning up an old military base where they are hoping to open a new centre (I was 95% sure I would find a dead body).

That being said, it was a lot of fun being in a totally new country where everything is different. This was the smallest village I've ever lived in, and it was a struggle, it being a tourist town it didn't really "open" until 3 weeks before I left. Just now, restaurants, bars and activity centres are opening... too little too late for me.

But it's given me a chance to watch a lot of TV and movies, pretend to learn more French (I do actually think I'm learning something) and I guess just RELAX! which is something I haven't done for this long in... forever. I usually get maybe a week or two without being too busy and too many commitments, but 3 months? I have never had that much down time, even with work every day.

I should have blogged more, I know, but without internet at the house, my only web time is at work, when I should be working... but there's enough time between assignments to do some blogging.

Anyways, now you know a little bit more of what I was doing here in Croatia at the Blue World Institute. Now I get to travel around in May, visiting with some friends and family in East North America. I have no idea what the plans are for the summer, until August when I head off to Mingan Island for (hopefully) my last internship. Once I'm home in June, hopefully I will have more time to update this thing.

Speak Loud!

Facts in a Bottle

Hey Team!

So keeping with a feature of this blog, here are 15 facts on most people's favourite cetacean, the bottlenose dolphin!

**

1. Their scientific name is Tursiops truncatus, named for the shape of their teeth
2. They are one of the most well known cetacean species, due to their exposure in aquaria and in film
3. They live in groups called pods, with a "fission/fusion" social system.
4. The "fission/fusion" system describes one where there is a well defined population, but not all individuals will be see together at all times.
5. Small, more permanent groups can arise, like mom/calf pairs and male pairs.
6. Male pairs are affectionately called "bromances". Two or three adult males will be seen swimming and and acting together in call aspects of life. They can last for a few months up to a lifetime.
7. They have some strange... |mating rituals". A male pair (or trio) will approach a female, separate her from the group, mate with her (both of them), then return her to the group. This sometimes reminds us of inappropriate human behaviour, and we have nicknamed it such.
8. All cetaceans can be identified by individuals in a particular manner. Bottlenose dolphins, like other dolphins, can be identified easily by their dorsal fins.
9. Bottlenose dolphins can be somewhat violent towards each other in play, mating and aggressiveness. Therefore they can get a lots of scratches and scars.
10. These scars, scratches, nicks and notches are usually permanent, and on the dorsal fin can be used to identify dolphins as individuals.
11. Just like a human's fingerprint, no two dolphin fins are the same in size, shape and natural markings!
12. Like other small cetaceans (mostly toothed whales), bottlenose dolphins use echolocation to get around underwater.
13.  Echolocation deals with sound waves, so dolphins are able to "hear" the world around them, or even cooler... "see in sound". That's kind of cool.
14. Although their common name isn't "the common dolphin" (which does exist), they are the most well known dolphin, courtesy of movies and films like Flipper and Dolphin Tale.
15. not only are bottlenose dolphins intelligent enough to do flips and tricks on command, they are also intelligent enough to use tools for foraging! There are a lot of documented cases of dolphins using sea sponges to root around the ocean floor for food.

Enjoy your day!

There you go, a couple more facts for your cetacean knowledge!

Speak Loud!

Book in Review: The Story of B

An American priest crosses the ocean on the trail of a man known as “B”, with a singular mission: to hear the message that B is carrying and to see if he is what the Lutheran church has always feared – the Antichrist.

What JF discovers is that B’s message might be far greater than anything the church could have ever thought – the message on how to save the world.

From Amazon

**

I should write the backs of books. Seriously. That took me like, 5 minutes and it’s been almost 3 months since I read the book.

The Story of B is a sort-of sequel to Ishmael – a sequel in that it is set more recently than Ishmael, and they mention Ishmael in the story. But other than that, it is essentially a book onto itself, though the backbone is the same: To save the world from its utter destruction, we must change the way we see humans in nature.

But, where Ishmael took more of a straight historical view, mixing in religion and biology where suitable, Story of B sort of does the opposite: It takes the religious and biological views, and mixes in history just to keep things clean.

**

Personally, I liked and disliked this approach. I definitely liked Ishmael more, but then I still need to read Story of B at least two more times before I will pretend I actually understand it past the “big picture”. But, as someone who lives both in the scientific and religious world, it’s hard for me to sympathize with media that puts the two at odds – although I know that there is a history of it and in fanatical and extreme cases there still is.

Maybe it’s the moderate in me, but I always find it difficult when people blame religion for anything – even if it’s not my religion.

But what I did like about this book was all the biology in it! Ishmael had it, of course. You can’t talk about nature without talking about biology, it’s one of the other. But it was a lot more pronounced in Story of B, using terms and concepts straight out of my second year ecology class to explain how messed up we are in this world.

Now, I read a PDF version off of my laptop, as I am travelling and books are difficult to carry around (although how come every time I travel, determined not to bring books with me, I always come home with at least two?), and the way the PDF was set up was they put all the “lecture material” (AKA the nitty gritty details) at the very end, so you could get the overall premise and all the action from the book, then if your brain wasn’t complete mush, you could try to get through about 100 pages (actual pages, because it was a PDF) of all the details that make his argument valid.

I was so overwhelmed by the end of the actually book that I got through about half of the lecture material. I was also travelling, which made it difficult to find time to read on my laptop. So I sort of wish they had split it up in the book. But maybe they do in the print version. I don’t know. If someone does know, leave a comment!

So, in summary, Story of B is a great book that really makes you think, but I personally preferred Ishmael. All my atheist readers (you know who you are, even if I don’t), maybe you’ll like it more than I did, but I think anyone who reads it will get something awesome out of it.

I think I’ll end with a quote from the book, because it’s sort of the central principle, and it makes total and complete sense – and if it doesn’t, it means you need to read the book.

“If the world is saved, it will be saved by people with changed minds, people with a new vision. It will not be saved by people with old minds and new programs.”

Speak Loud!

Buy the book at Amazon

And at Chapters

Asking for Help

Hey Team!

So, the blog has gotten a facelift! I think I like the look a little more... still fun, but maybe a bit more professional? I have a friend with an amazing blog who is getting some pretty serious recognition for it, and it's not jealousy that I feel, but maybe simply motivation?

As I post my blog to my personal facebook, I know that my friends and family make up a fair amount of the people who read my blog. And that's awesome, thank you guys for supporting this crazy dream of mine (both the biology one and the blog one)!

But I am hoping to reach a wider audience, because let's face it, most of my friends do not want to grow up to be biologists, and the point of this blog is to inspire and teach.

So if anyone has any ideas on how to get this blog out there and read by people who don't actually know me, please leave a comment below, and hopefully I can start to see more views.

Or maybe there just aren't enough blog reading biologists in the world and it's a futile attempt. It's still fun to write so I won't be stopping any time soon.

And just to keep you intrigued, here are some of the upcoming posts...

• a review of a TV show
• a review of a movie
• conservation vs. research
• bottlenose dolphin facts

So stay tuned for more blog posts, once I find the time and the internet connection...

Speak Loud!

Mentoring With the Best of Them

Hey Team, sorry for the lack of catchy title, the song in my head was just too long.

So I am sitting pretty in Croatia, doing a lot of data work. photo-ID matching, data entry, cropping photos, renaming files, organizing files, etc. Lots of busy work while we wait for the weather to clear up so we can get on the waters again.

But I am here to talk about teaching and mentoring. Because all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I have become a mentor.

Woah.

I mean, that was the point of this blog at the beginning, you know? To give hints and tips about marine biology to try and help others who are just starting down this path. I think it's become something a little different, but I think it's still possible to learn something from all my babbling.

Anyways. Mentors. I have had quite a few in my life. Sticking with those in my career path, most of them have been grad students, older than me, already partway through their own research who for reasons beyond my comprehension took a special interest in my quest to become a marine biologist and let me help them with their lab work, taught me how to look for grants, how to write applications and let me use their names when trying to find work.

And they helped. I came to them with questions, hopes, dreams and they actually cared. I know, I'm surprised as well. They were my friends and my teachers. Mentors.

Higher up the ladder, my supervisor for my honours thesis has also been a mentor for almost 3 years now. She's taught me how to write science articles, how to think critically about statistics and how to perform real behavioural experiments. Also my boss at DFO, probably for some strange reasons of his own, is always willing to hire me back when I am in Winnipeg, and has offered up a variety of projects if I ever have a long stretch of time with him.

These are people that if there was ever an 'Oscars' for my life, would be thanked in my awards speech. It's true that without them I would have probably failed. Miserably.

**

I have been a swimming instructor for 7 years. Five consecutively, then on and off for 2 years while I have been travelling. I have always, always, loved teaching, though usually I keep it to people under the age of 12.

One of the other interns here in Croatia is in her 2nd year of university in Germany, and she is just starting to do lab work and internships in marine biology. She has a lot of questions about different internships around the world, and how to do things like photo-ID and data entry.

It's not like I have a decade of experience under my belt, but I have enough that I can answer her questions, and now I have become one of those people who taught me so much. She asks me questions, tells me her plans for the future, and I answer her and encourage her.

The strangest part is that we are the same age. In Germany they start university a year late and she took a gap year, so although we are the same age, there is a big enough gap in our life paths that I can be a mentor to her.

It's weird though; I know that I take everything my own mentor's say so seriously, and now there's the chance that there is someone in the world doing the same with me.

It's a strange feeling, but a good one. I hope there will be lots and lots people I can help and teach in the future, because there are few things in life I love more.

There is also someone back home a friend got me in contact with that might also be asking advice about how to get into the field. I'm really hoping to lend her a hand, even if the competitor monster in me is roaring for me to stop. I so should have become a doctor.

**

Anyways, that was just a little thing about mentors. Not much to take from it, other than if you have the opportunity to become a mentor to someone, take it. You need patience, but it feels so rewarding when you know that you are making a difference in someone's life. And they are old enough to appreciate it.

Speak Loud!

Book in Review: Ishmael

While work is quiet, here's another book review to hopefully make you think.

From Amazon

I first read this book in grade 11, for my AP Environmental Science class. It was a good class, and it was a good book.

But time passes, you read a lot more books, and you forget some of the things you read.

While I never forgot the concept that was Ishmael, I did forget the details. So I read it again.

And man, what a good book.

**

A man, looking for himself and his place in the world, reads a notice in the paper: Teacher seeking pupil who wants to change the world. When he arrives he finds himself face to face with a full grown gorilla, named Ishmael.

Ishmael takes us on a journey through the history of mankind, detailing out the relationship between humans and the rest of nature. Ishmael tries to teach us our mistakes, and how we can learn from them.

**

So I will be the first to say that I don't think I really understood the book when I was 16, and I don't think I completely understand it now. I think I'll have to read it at least 3-4 more times before I can feel comfortable explaining the book.

But what I did take away from it, and did understand, was completely thought provoking. Everything we think of as human history is wrong. Like,really wrong.

I don't really know how much I can say about Ishmael without giving the book away, or getting something wrong. But the premise is at a certain point in human history, we made a choice. This choice took us away from what we are, animals living within nature, to what we thought we were, which is above nature.

And at that point, we brought upon our own extinction.

**

Of course, topics like this are controversial. There are people that don't believe that our environment is in trouble and that we are simply following the path of evolution.

Except that how come no other animal has made this choice? There are other animals with the same level of intelligence as humans, but they don't dominate the world like we do.

And who is to say that we are done evolving? Why do humans believe we are the pinnacle of evolution? According the the theory of evolution, evolution never stops. So how come Homo sapiens sapiens believe we are where evolution stops?

I know this isn't quite as in depth as my last review, but this book is a lot easier to ruin. It's not a long book, but it is still not an easy read. I recommend it if you have the time, and if you are interested in changing the way you see yourself in the world.

Speak Loud!

From Amazon here
From Chapters here

Zoo in Review: The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

Hey Team!

If you would have told me that I would have used the Reviews section of this blog to talk about things other than books or documentaries... I wouldn't have believed you. Actually though, never would have thought to review places.

But today I spent the day at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, and man - what a zoo!!

Now, it was cold and rainy and foggy, so I only got to see about half the animals, but what a did see really blew me away!

So for the most part, the Zoo was created to breed, conserve and display animals that were mentioned in the bible (hence the Zoo's name). However, that was a few decades ago, and now the Zoo has grown into a zoo displaying species from all over the world, although still with a focus on North African, Middle Eastern and Western Asian species.

And so much conservation! It seemed like every species was critically endangered or threatened and the JBZ was working on breeding programs or rehabilitation programs with every species! It might be an exaggeration, but it seemed that way to me.

Parrots, raptors, and penguins! Turtles, crocodiles, and frogs. Lions, tigers and bears (oh my!). Asian elephants! All of them in some kind of trouble, and the JBZ is here to help (alongside a lot of other zoos. Props to them!).

Asian Elephant  - Indian sub-species

Persian Fallow Deer - once thought to be extinct!

Black-footed penguins - one of JBZ's many projects

Giant Tortoise - critically endangered

And around every corner were signs that talked about environmental conservation! There was even the "Ecological Maze", with little signs throughout it talking about ecological concerns, like pollution, and their solutions, like breeding programs! And at the end of the maze, there's a sign about "How you can help".

Cheesy, yes. For kids? Absolutely. Educational? Yes!

Man, I feel like I could go on forever! In the rainforest building, signs all over explaining all the problems facing rainforests, and others explaining why they are important. There were also signs about the importance of "primal knowledge", which is the knowledge that indigenous people have about nature. Those signs really got to me, because of my recent completion of Ishmael (keep an eye out for the book review!).

Last thing I think I really want to point out from the zoo is their "West Side Story" exhibit. Now, this is NOT a musical (I was disappointed as well), and the Hebrew title makes a lot more sense. In Hebrew, the exhibit is called "The Story of Tippy". Tippy is a water drop that falls to the Earth in the Kinneret (aka Sea of Galilee), and moves his way through the Israeli waterways, India and Australia. And everywhere he goes, he sees how people have been destroying their water systems and the implications. And every time he learns that it's people's fault, he gets more and more bad.

The "West Side Story" exhibit - the story of the aquatic concerns

Fish! That might be extinct soon if we don't help!

This story is done in cartoons throughout the exhibit, along with an explanation of the problem, and examples of species of fish that are being effected.

To me, this took the cake. I might have teared up a bit, just because I was so impressed with how much the Zoo talked about all the negative impacts Israel is having on their aquatic environments. I mean, it's their zoo, but they aren't afraid to say "Hey, we're not perfect, and what we do matters."

Basically, of you find yourself in Israel sometime in the summer, and you just happen to have a free afternoon in Jerusalem with nothing to do, hop on a 33 bus and get yourself to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. In a past post I talked about the pros and cons of zoos, and I said that the point of zoos (hopefully) is education and awareness. There's a lot of controversy around this statement, that they don't really work that way. But I honestly and truly believe that if there is only one zoo in the world really trying hard to make education, awareness and conservation it's focus, it's the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.

A big indicator: They only charged me half price admission because the day was rainy and cold and a bunch of the animals weren't on display. Doesn't sound like a money-grabbing enterprise to me.

Speak Loud!

Sorry for the Silence!

Hey Team!

No, I have not given up on this blog! It's just that my last 3 months, relating to the fascinating field of marine biology, have been uneventful.

I spent 2 months back on the prairies, doing the same work on seal jaws as I did before, so nothing new there.

I am currently in Israel travelling around and seeing the country, so no marine biology here. Although I am going scuba diving this week, and that's sort of related, so maybe I'll talk about that.

but fear not! my readers (all like, what, five of you?) Starting in February I will be sitting pretty and sunny in Croatia, working on a(nother) bottlenose dolphin project! Woot! Someone would think I liked bottlenose dolphins. Which I do, but not as much as other cetaceans. It's mean having favourites, but I do.

Anyways, this means that the months of February, March and April will hopefully be more eventful. I have another book I want to review, and possibly it's sequel (when I finish), so please keep an eye out for updates more interesting than this!

Speak Loud!