Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Assist with necropsies of stranded cetaceans, pinnipeds, and mustelids • Conduct outer coast beach surveys to detect stranded marine mammals • Enter stranding data into national database • Process stomach, intestine, and fecal samples for food habit studies, including DNA analysis • Train volunteers on sampling protocols and data entry
• Identified toothed whales by visually comparing field photos to an existing catalog, with an emphasis on body pigment patterns and fin shape • Took photographs of whales seen from Washington whale watching boats using DSLR cameras • Recorded data of marine mammal sightings in the field • Assisted in necropsies of stranded whales and pinnipeds along Washington coastlines
• Responsible for deploying bottom longline fishing gear for fisheries studies in the Gulf of Mexico • Handled, weighed, tagged, and measured live sharks, rays, and bony fish • Recorded bottom longline survey data • Collected biological samples for later analysis, including otoliths, fin clips, and stomach contents • Processed biological samples in lab for stable isotopes, age and growth, and DNA metabarcoding • Responsible for making, ordering, and organizing lab and field gear • Participated in outreach events to educate the public about sharks, rays, and bony fish • Led educational classroom sessions for school groups and camps • Assisted undergraduate student classes in the deployment of bottom longlines, gillnets, and trawl nets