The podcast diving into stories beneath our oceans. Featuring guests who inspire us about the world of whales and how we can help to protect cetaceans and our o...
Episode 18 - Dan Jarvis, Director of Welfare and Conservation with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR)
Our guest in this WeWhale Pod episode is Dan Jarvis, Director of Welfare and Conservation with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). Dan talks about moving to Cornwall and how this influenced his interests and career. He also explains the origins of BDMLR and how it expanded from focusing on seal rescues in its early days to also coming to the aid of stranded or entangled whales, dolphins and porpoises. The organisation is an NGO and has 2,500 trained volunteers. Dan also shares the story of how a northern bottlenose whale turned up in the river Thames in London in 2006 and the subsequent rescue attempt that BDMLR and other organisations were involved in which gained huge media attention. He also talks about how welcome it is that more research is being carried out into stranded animal welfare, and his hope that we will see better legal protection for marine mammals. Find out more about the work of British Divers Marine Life Rescue. Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
This special panel episode of The WeWhale Pod focuses on the problem of ghost gear in our waters and ways to combat it. Our guests are:Harry Dennis and Gavin Parker, co-founders of Waterhaul, a social enterprise based in Cornwall in the UK that recycles abandoned marine nets into high quality productsSophie Lewis, Interim CEO of the World Cetacean AllianceTom Mustill, biologist turned filmmaker and author of How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communications. Tom is also an Ambassador for the World Cetacean Alliance. The panel chats about what ghost gear is and how it affects whales and other wildlife all over the planet. Every year, hundreds of thousands of cetaceans are trapped in ghost gear — lost or discarded fishing equipment that drifts through our oceans like a deadly web. The guests also discuss the process of disentanglement and how changes in the fishing industry (namely a move to plastic gear in recent decades) have contributed to the global problem of ghost gear. In September 2023, a humpback whale became entangled in fishing gear in Algoa Bay, South Africa, and was fighting for his life. Thankfully, after a rescue operation, he was freed and able to swim away. The ghost gear was recovered and through collaborative links with the World Cetacean Alliance, made its way to Waterhaul, which saw an opportunity to create something unique from this near-tragedy.A limited range of sunglasses, made from this recovered ghost gear, is available to purchase. You can check them out, along with more about the rescue operation, on the Waterhaul website. And learn more about the World Cetacean Alliance. Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Episode 16 - Patrick Dykstra, wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter
Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Patrick Dykstra, wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter, who has for many years travelled the globe, diving with whales and learning more about their behaviours. He tells us how seeing an exhibit of a blue whale at the Smithsonian Museum at the age of 16 inspired his love of whales and the ocean. And how he transited from being a corporate lawyer to becoming a wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter. Patrick also talks about his work as a cinematographer on Blue Planet 2, and how he almost got hit by a humpback whale while filming! And he explains how his film, Patrick and the Whale, was prompted by a close encounter with a sperm whale in Dominica. You can find out more about Patrick's work on Instagram. Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Episode 15 - Terry Wolkowicz, Co-Founder and Educational Director of Sound Explorations
Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Terry Wolkowicz, Co-Founder and Educational Director of non profit organisation Sound Explorations. Terry, who is based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, talks about the educational mission of the organisation. She also dives into one project in particular, Whales in Motion: A Musical and Sculptural Experience for the Blind and Visually Impaired. It combines tactile sculptures and live performance by musicians to facilitate blind and visually impaired people understanding and experiencing how whales move through the water and how they forage. Terry also chats about the work going on in her local area to help Northern Atlantic right whales migrating off the coast of Massachusetts, and the children's book she co-wrote with colleague David McKenzie called 'Right Whale, Wrong Letter'. She also describes having the opportunity to help researchers to tag humpback whales and how that experience deeply changed her. You can find out more about the work of Sound Explorations on their website, www.soundexplorations.org. Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Episode 14 - marine mammal biologist Dr Filipa Samarra
Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is marine mammal biologist Dr Filipa Samarra, who is also the Founder and Lead Investigator of the Icelandic Orca Project. Filipa shares what brought her from her native Portugal to Iceland and talks about her journey to becoming a marine biologist. She also describes getting hooked on orca sound communication and chats about why we're so fascinated by orca as a species. Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
The podcast diving into stories beneath our oceans. Featuring guests who inspire us about the world of whales and how we can help to protect cetaceans and our ocean environment. Sit back, relax, you're now in the WeWhale pod. www.wewhale.co
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