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Dolphin in Brazil helping with fishing illustration

Dolphins and fishermen working together

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Gray whale (eschrichtius robustus) Gray whale in Ojo de liebre lagoon Baja California.

Why we’re walking for whales to save the world

We've got enormous ambitions when it comes to fighting climate breakdown, and so two members...
Dolphins with keepers in the new Windsor Safari Park. Image: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Three decades on from UK’s last dolphin show, what needs to change?

The UK hasn't had captive whales and dolphins on display for 30 years, but it's...
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...
Whale evolution cover

How did whales end up living in the ocean?

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Fishers chatting

Scottish fishers working with us to reduce risks to whales

Small changes to fishing gear could make a big difference to whales around Scotland, and...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
tins of whale meat

How Japan’s whaling industry is trying to convince people to eat whales

Japan's hunters kill hundreds of whales every year despite the fact that hardly anyone in...

A Captain is Only as Good as His (or her, as the case may be) Crew

I have had my USCG 100-ton captains license for almost ten years which has provided me the opportunity to operate a boat around 50+ ton endangered whales (about twice as heavy as our vessel, Easterly). A good captain has worked their way through the ranks and fully appreciates that each role, regardless of how big or small, is essential to the working of the ship. Before I received my captain’s license I worked as a naturalist, deckhand, galley help and dock support. I’ve experienced all of it, from educating passengers to cleaning the heads (toilets) and everything in between. What it has taught me is that every part of the crew is essential personnel, that every job is critical, and that, while the captain is responsible for the vessel and its passengers, they are only as good as their crew.

I am very privileged to work with an amazingly hard working and talented crew both on, and off, the water. Driven by passion for the animals and a responsibility to our supporters, they work tirelessly each and every day to make a difference in the lives of whales and dolphins. And while we often provide updates on our successes, there are countless hours of work that go on day in and day out that go unnoted.

I am starting this series to give you periodic snapshots into our work, not just the big successes, but also the behind the scenes work that is the backbone of who we are in North America. Here’s some of what we’ve been up to during just the first two weeks of July!

  • Trained newly arriving interns and interviewed interns for our fall season
  • Responded to four seal strandings
  • Processed research sightings of identified humpbacks for collaborate projects
  • Set up a new computer for video storage and editing
  • Deliver outreach event for Plymouth Maritime Day and Jones River Landing
  • Design Dolphins and Whale for Plymouth Boat Parade of Lights (we won!!!)
  • Submitted and was accepted for a poster presentation at the American Cetacean Society’s conference in November
  • Designed a special database to “tag” images of humpbacks with vessel strike injuries
  • Meet with Audubon of Rhode Island and New Bedford Whaling Museum to develop educational materials specific to the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.
  • Guest Speaker at Mass Maritime Academy
  • Provided support to the Atlantic the Large Whale Disentanglement Team to respond to an entangled humpback whale
  • Drafted comments to stop beluga imports to Georgia Aquarium
  • Organized drive hunt/directed take strategy call and recommendations
  • Complete and publish a public opinion poll showing that the majority of Americans do not support orcas being held in captivity
  • Finalized a journal article on the brutality of dolphin kills during the drive hunts in Japan
  • Submitted grant proposals to four foundations to support our work 
  • Offered a $3000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person(s) responsible for killing a dolphin with a screwdriver in the Gulf of Mexico
  • Submitted comments to NOAA to reduce risk of entanglements and vessel strikes to whales from vessels fishing for Blue Fin Tuna
  • Obtained and code 3612 digital images of whales, dolphins and seals during two weeks of field work!

These bullet points do not do justice to the time and effort that went into each of these projects, nor does this list fully reflect all that has happened. But I do hope it gives insight into the work that we have done and will be doing on behalf of our supporters to protect whales, dolphins and their habitats.If you want more information on any of these programs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We exist only with your support for which we are deeply appreciative and I am Honored to be at the Helm.

About Regina Asmutis-silvia

Executive director - WDC North America