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We asked some experts in whale and dolphin abundance estimation to play the exhibition version of WhaleQuest. Their scores, together with some information on who they are and what they do, are given below. Give the exhibition version of WhaleQuest and go and see if you can beat these boffins at their own game!
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| Name | Kelly Macleod | Game Score | 616 |
| Occupation | Post-doctoral research fellow |
| Location | Sea Mammal Research Unit, St. Andrews |
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1. What is your job?
I work within a European project to estimate cetacean abundance and assess the impact of fisheries bycatch. My role involves day-to-day management of the project together with data analysis and report wrtiing.
2. What are some fun things you have done in your work?
I'm a field biologist at heart and love doing survey work! Being at sea, no matter what the weather (although calm is good!), is incredible. Some of the most exciting cetacean encounters I have had have been in gale force situations when groups of common dolphins suddenly emerge from the crests of a several metre wave!
3. What is the worst thing you have had to do in your work?
Administration. Probably 25% of my working week is taken up dealing with administration, including dealing with project enquiries, organising meetings, managing budgets etc.
4. How did you end up working with cetaceans?
Working with cetaceans was always my career aim. I began volunteering on cetacean projects when I was 18 so I could build up a lot of field experience. I continued doing this throughout my time at Universtiy. Eventually i got funds for a PhD on cetacean habitat preferences and after that went to the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) for a 4 month short term contract...that was 5 years ago!
5. How does your job involve statistics?
A key part of the project is estimating cetacean abundance from data collected during offshore shipboard surveys suring summer 2007.
6. What do you do in your free time?
I'm Chair of a charity, Organisation Cetacea (ORCA). I also enjoy swimming, sailing but best of all is being a mum! There's little time for anything else!
7. Describe the place you work.
I work in an office overlooking the sea. I have views into St. Andrews Bay - if I stand up!
Links:
ORCA - Organisation Cetacea
SCANS-II - University of St Andrews
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| Name | Pierre Richard | Game Score | 480 |
| Occupation | Biologist |
| Location | Fisheries and Oceans Canada |
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1. What is your job?
I do whale population assessments in the Arctic, including aerial surveys.
2. What are some fun things you have done in your work?
I have had a chance to see some of the most beautiful parts of the Arctic and witness thousands of beluga whales in one place from the airplane.
3. What ais the worst thing you have had to do in your work?
Travelling by small boat in 5 meter waves whose crests threatened to engulf the boat at every turn.
4. How did you end up working with cetaceans?
I did graduate work on terrestrial mammals but had an active personal interest in cetaceans of the Gulf of St.Lawrence estuary. I landed a job working on whales in the Arctic 27 years ago and have not looked back since.
5. How does your job involve statistics?
Assessments are done by sampling populations that cannot be completely counted because of their large geographic range. Statistical methods are used to obtain estimates of their numbers.
6. What do you do in your free time?
I enjoy bird watching wherever I go. I play a number of sports, including cycling and hockey. My family and I like to go camping in wild areas around Canada and the U.S.
7. Describe the place you work.
My office is in Winnipeg, Manitoba, unfortunately far from the sea but the Arctic is vast and there are no research institutes there, that are close to a university. Our institute is on the campus of the University of Manitoba, which has an active Arctic research programs and we have several UofM students working on whale projects with us.
Links:
Arctic Stock Assessment - Fisheres Canada
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| Name | Ana Cañadas | Game Score | 465 |
| Occupation | Biologist |
| Location | Field work in the Alboran Sea, office close to Madrid |
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1. What is your job?
I study cetacean (and sea turtles) populations in the Alboran Sea, especially with regards to abundance estimation and habitat preferences.
2. What are some fun things you have done in your work?
Many! Especially the field work on our old classic ship, being surronded by hundreds of dolphins, and also working with and learning from excellent scientists and great friends. Also a great thing is working together with my husband.
3. What is the worst thing you have had to do in your work?
Waiting in port due to bad weather, days of long searching hours without finding any animals, and the boring side of preparing proposals and searching for funds.
4. How did you end up working with cetaceans?
I was attracted to cetaceans and wanted to study them since I was at the University. And I am very determined.... I met my husband soon after I finished University, he was also interested in marine biology research, we bought our ship (and old Norwegian fishing ship) and soon we started our first steps in cetacean research.
5. How does your job involve statistics?
Statistics is a fundamental part of my job. I am not statistician, but I need this tool for every analysis bit of my work. It was hard to learn whatI needed at the beginning, but it was worth it to be able to get so much outof my data!
6. What do you do in your free time?
I like to watch movies with my family, I read, and I do some sports.
7. Describe the place you work.
My office: it is at home, in a ncie house on the country side, right beside a natural park, so I have a beautiful forest right beside my house. It is 35km to the NW of Madrid.
My field work: our survey platform is a wooden ship built in 1910! We sail all around the Southern coasts of Spain.
Links:
Alnitak
Sociedad Española de Cetáceos
Alboran Sea Conservation
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| Name | Thorvaldur Gunlaugsson | Game Score | 82 |
| Occupation | Statistician |
| Location | The Marine Research Institute, Reykjavik, Iceland |
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1. What is your job?
I work at the Marine research Institute in Reykjavik Iceland and happen to be mostly involved with whales.
Data analysis, modeling and programing but also some field work to get accquainted with how the data are collected. I have also been ivolved with other fish species.
2. What are some fun things you have done in your work?
In spite of sea sickness I enjoy sighting surveys (when the weather is tolerable). I have also been at sea for short periods during the sampling of the 200 minke whales for the research program started in 2003 and finished last summer (2007), and found that whaling is more fun, but there will unlikely be any more of that kind.
Enjoyed developing and testing (in 2001) a method for estimating sperm whale abundance (IWC SC/54/O8), but dive cycle data is too scant to come up with reliable figures.
3. What is the worst thing you have had to do in your work?
Analysing minke whale stomach contents.
4. How did you end up working with cetaceans?
Coincidence.
5. How does your job involve statistics?
In presenting to the public and to the authorities research results and advice given by the institute.
6. What do you do in your free time?
Run, family and contract bridge.
7. Describe the place you work.
The MRI center with a staff of about 100 is located by the old harbor in Reykjavik. The whale research department has a staff of about 4.
Links:
The Marine Research Institute, Reykjavik, Iceland
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