The Humpback Whale Research Project, Bermuda

Phase II - 2010 to 2012

Proposal

Education:

Educational outreach: Using the 60-minute film "Where the Whales Sing" as the primary tool, work with educators to maximize the impact of the documentary at schools around Bermuda. The DVD is divided into 16 ‘chapters'. Appropriate selections or combinations of these chapters can be shown to different age groups. A teachers' aid, or curriculum/lesson plan, will be developed to emphasize the ‘teachable moments' in each chapter. This teachers' guide will be made available on the www.whalesbermuda.com website for any teacher to access. I will continue to make personal appearances at schools during the school year to talk about the film, the project, and other aspects about our marine environment. DVDs of the film will be distributed free to all schools and public libraries in Bermuda.

Website development: Continue to devote time and energy to inputting information on the website www.whalesbermuda.com to facilitate its use as an educational tool accessible to all at any time.  This website was created during the first phase of the project without a budget and includes a wealth of information including hundreds of days of diary entries. Included in the expansion of our website will be Bermuda-specific curriculum/lesson plans based on "Where the Whales Sing". A new gallery of all our Bermuda fluke photographs has already been added. All donors will be ‘marketed' on the website with major donors having logo exposure on the home page. The views or hits on this popular website are already over 300,000.

Research:

Fluke Catalogue: Obtaining and catalogue more humpback whale fluke ids, comparing them to our photographs from previous years, and matching them against the Allied Whale catalogue of over 7,000 individual humpback whale fluke ids.

Data Analysis: Match photographs taken each year to our own Bermuda catalogue and the North Atlantic catalogue of whale fluke ids.

Fishermen questionnaire: Catalogue interviews with as many Bermuda commercial fishermen as possible to compile a database of their observations regarding sightings of humpbacks and other whales and their behavior.

Winter whales: Obtain fluke ids and hydrophone recordings during November, December, January, February and early March.

Video: When appropriate, continue documenting the humpbacks with underwater high definition video.

Accoustics: Deploy a leased pop-up acoustic underwater hydrophone on Challenger Bank for a six-month period from November to late May.

International contacts: Liase with academics and marine biologists around the world, sharing our observations and data.

If you wish to contribute financially to Phase II of the Humpback Whale Research Project I can give you the detailed budget proposal and suggest a specific line item for sponsorship. We'd also love to hear from anyone wishing to volunteer - or contribute goods &/or services. If interested, please contact Andrew Stevenson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Donations can also be made through the Atlantic Conservation Partnership, a registered US charity and donor-supported 501(c)(3) not-for-profit group. The ACP is dedicated to promoting collaborative study of our shared US, Bermuda, and Caribbean environment through support of regional research and education programs. The ACP achieves this mission in partnership with the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo and the Bermuda Zoological Society by: providing support for research projects and field conservation efforts to address threats to marine biodiversity and to inform policymakers; and educational initiatives to train the next generation of environmental biologists, educators, and advocates as well as to raise awareness and build capacity of local communities.

Click on http://www.atlanticconservationpartnership.com/p7/conservation/Humpback-Whale-Project.aspx