Sally’s Experience with Ocean Wise NCCRI

The North Coast Cetacean Research Initiative (NCCRI) was established in Prince Rupert in 2014 and has since grown to become a dynamic community-based program focused on cetacean research, conservation and public outreach in collaboration with industry, government, conservation, First Nations and educational institutions. The cetaceans that the NCCRI primarily monitors are humpback whales.

Sally’s placement involved a lot of on-the-ground conservation work. She worked on several different projects with the NCCRI team, primarily education and outreach projects, promoting the Whale Trail BC along the entire coast by working directly with the Ocean Wise Communications team to increase knowledge of this program using social media platforms, and lots of whale research data analysis, learning new software in the process. Sally’s placement also provided support to the NCCRI program through land and vessel-based cetacean surveys and photo identification research, maintaining a humpback whale photo identification catalogue and database, responding to sightings submitted to the BC Cetacean Sightings Network, and participating in data entry.