Ocean Alliance, Gloucester, Massachusetts

In the summer of 2005, I worked as an education intern for the organization Ocean Alliance on their whale watch vessel, Hurricane II. The whale watch boat was docked in Gloucester , Massachusetts with Cape Ann Whale Watch. I spent about four days a week on the boat and had various tasks to perform. The main goal of Ocean Alliance is to promote the conservation of whales and their ocean environment through education and research. The role of the interns was to help with this goal every single time we stepped on the boat each day.

Ocean Alliance is conducting several different research projects. A source of pride for Ocean Alliance is the fact that their study and population survey of the Southern Right Whale, off the coast of Argentina , is the second longest running mammal study after Jane Goodall's primate research. Another amazing research project, sampling sperm whale blubber, has just concluded its data-gathering voyage around all of the world's oceans. Originally attracted to Ocean Alliance by this traveling research sailboat's mission, “The Voyage of the Odyssey,” I am still extremely interested in the project and the very informative and valuable data that have been gathered. The samples of whale blubber will be tested and analyzed to study the toxicity levels of the world's oceans.

My role in the office was to help input raw data sheets into the database from the sighting logs, photo logs, audio recordings, sample logs, and many others. The major part of the internship was devoted to education aboard Hurricane II. On the way out to watch the whales, the other interns and I walked around with various teaching tools to educate the passengers. These tools included a real sample of five baleen plates from a Fin whale; replicas of Sperm whale and Orca teeth; recordings of songs of male Humpback whales; a map of the ocean floor; and photos of various parts of the whale that we can see from the boat. Using these tools, we tried, and most often succeeded, in connecting the passengers to the whales that we were going to see and inspired within them a sense of need for preservation of their habitat. Cynde, my supervisor and the naturalist on the boat, always used a quote in her dock-talk before the trip that will stick with me forever, “We conserve what we love, we love what we understand, and we understand what we are taught.” I believe this concept is the real essence of Ocean Alliance's mission and is also the reason that there are educators aboard the whale watch boat (which is not something many other whale watch programs can boast).

Intern tasks didn't end once we finished walking around the boat; there was no relaxation aboard this vessel. When we finished our rounds, we went up outside the wheelhouse to scan the horizon for “blows.” When found, we would point out the blow to the captain and Cynde and then head inside the wheelhouse to grab either the quantitative or qualitative data sheet for the trip. Once we were “on the whale” we took note of its behavior and many other observations. After roughly an hour and a half or more observing this whale and others, we would move off and head back towards Gloucester . On the way in, more teaching tools were brought out. We walked around with samples of plankton that had been gathered with the plankton tow while we were on the whale, showing the passengers what the whales were eating and telling them about the food web. We walked around with a game to show how we identify Humpback whales; played with toy models of various whale species and marine mammals with the younger kids; sold many different souvenirs and “whale adoptions” to support Ocean Alliance; took note of the conditions of the trip and weather; and answered peoples' questions. In addition to the boat trips throughout the week, all the interns came together with the naturalist once a week to go over marine science current event articles and discuss various aspects (both positive and negative) of the whale watch boat and Ocean Alliance.

I feel that my original objectives were met and even surpassed by my internship this summer. My goals to connect with people and develop contacts in the field of marine research were met and were developed further through daily conversations with people from all over the country out on trips to see whales. My mind was stretched through watching and reflecting on the transformations of passengers from before and after the trip, and also thinking about how my own experiences over the summer have changed the way that I make decisions. Getting to know and “read” these people aboard the boat and watch their reactions to the whales was the most interesting and rewarding aspect of the internship. Knowing that the trip had impacted almost everyone in some way or another was amazing to think about when I left the boat each day.

The internship ultimately led me to finally settle on my senior integrative project. Luckily, and surprisingly, I worked with Laurinda Wong this summer on the boat as well, a fellow member of the Goodwin-Niering Certificate Program. We were both very influenced and moved by our experiences and discussions with Cynde, and we wanted to take these thoughts further in order to put something into action. With questions from passengers about boats' effects on the whales, and seeing how whales behaved as we motored through their home, we pondered what we could do to help the situation. It is somewhat peculiar that we go out every day with our dirty diesel engine and noise pollution and circle around through the whales' habitat. Having only been slightly familiar with biodiesel fuel before this summer, it is a subject that I now find extremely interesting.

For my senior project, I want to conduct thorough research on many aspects of biodiesel and prepare a proposal to present to Cape Ann Whale Watch outlining the advantages of running the boat on biodiesel. Not only do I want to simply present the advantages, but also research and outline every aspect of how to convert the Hurricane II to a completely “green” whale watch vessel, including modifications to the engine; mechanics in the area willing to support the project; sponsorship by organizations; cost and vendors of biodiesel ingredients; advertisement suggestions for website and brochures; and much more. If they choose not to act on my recommendations, my next step will be to establish my own biodiesel-powered, “go-green” whale watch company and provide stiff competition. I am also proposing that this project will be a joint effort by both Laurinda and I, to ensure thorough research, enthusiasm, and a strong final proposal.