Join us online for an exciting evening filled with fascinating discussions about these magnificent marine creatures. Our lineup of speakers includes experts in the field who will share their knowledge and insights with you. Whether you're a seasoned marine enthusiast or just curious about whales and dolphins, this event is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about these amazing animals. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and expand your knowledge! Date: Time: Location: Online Ticket: Required by donation Register now to secure your spot and get ready for an evening of learning and discovery! The Speakers: Chloe Robinson: The Whale Report Alert System Dr. Chloe Robinson (she/they) is a scientist, conservationist, and science communicator currently serving as Advisor & Technical Lead for the Whales Initiative at Ocean Wise. Her work focuses on using environmental DNA (eDNA) to close data gaps on whales and their prey, with over 25 peer-reviewed publications on non-invasive biodiversity monitoring. Chloe leads the Whale Report Alert System (WRAS), reducing ship strike risk to whales along North America's west coast, and is a passionate advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM. She has launched visibility initiatives for 2SLGBTQIA+ scientists, including the Big Gay Whale Watch and university Pride seminar series. Chloe began their cetacean conservation journey as a volunteer with the Sea Watch Foundation (2014–2018), conducting surveys and serving as Regional Coordinator for South Wales. She lives with their wife, son, and cats on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples (“Victoria”, Canada). Joe Dennett: The Challenges of Marine Mammal Monitoring Joe's primary focus with Chelonia is the development of the CATT – Cetacean Acoustic Trend Tracking – project. CATT aims to learn lessons on how to implement a low cost and precise means of determining trends using an array of F-PODs around the island of Britain. Many of the stations combine PODs with other instruments deployed as part of other projects. The high level aims of Chelonia Ltd. are Cetacean conservation, research, and education. The CATT project follows these principles adding the concept of local ownership. CATT is delivered by local organisations, groups and communities using loaned equipment with support from Chelonia Ltd. Part of this strategy of local ownership is to avoid the impression that CATT is a Chelonia project or Joe's project, so we try to focus attention on the local communities doing the work. Emily Hague: How Citizen Science Has Contributed to Marine Mammal Research in Scotland Emily is a marine mammal researcher based at UHI Shetland working on the BLUE CONNECT project, to encourage local people and industries in and around Shetland to work collaboratively to understand marine mammals around Shetland. She recently completed her PhD studies at Heriot-Watt University on ‘marine mammals in the Anthropocene’, and for a number of years prior to this worked at the Sea Mammal Research Unit and for SMRU Consulting. Her research largely focuses on how human activities overlap with marine mammals. Her main body of work involves working alongside community-based organisations to work together to improve our understanding of marine spaces, including starting up the ‘Scottish Vessel Project’, to understand vessel traffic and overlap with marine mammals around Scotland in collaboration with WDC and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.
