We are looking for RESEARCH INTERN and RESEARCH ASSISTANT volunteers who are interested in gaining knowledge on how to monitor the abundance, behaviour distribution, reproductive success, population structure of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay.
Please read individual role descriptions carefully before applying as they differ significantly from each other, each requiring varying lengths of commitment as well as different levels of experience in areas such as research, team management and public awareness work. All roles are unpaid, however, accommodation is provided for the Research Assistant free of charge:
http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/internships/
From left to right: Bottlenose dolphin (BND), County Mayo, Ireland; minke whale (MW), Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides; harbour porpoise (HP), Anglesey, North Wales; white-beaked dolphins (WBD), Aberdeen, Scotland; humpback whale (HW), Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides. Photo credits: (BND) Pia Anderwald/ SWF, (MW) P.G.H. Evans/SWF, (HP) P.G.H. Evans/SWF, (WBD) Caroline Weir, (HW) P.G.H. Evans/SWF.
About the Sea Watch Foundation
The Sea Watch Foundation is a national marine environmental research charity that aims to achieve better conservation of whales and dolphins in the seas around Britain and Ireland, by involving the public in scientific monitoring of populations and the threats they face. It is the longest-running research charity in UK focusing upon cetaceans around the British Isles, and maintains a national sightings database, the largest in Europe. It works closely with all the UK statutory conservation agencies, and advises UK government, the UNEP Regional intergovernmental Conservation Agreement – ASCOBANS, the European Commission, as well as the major conservation charities and marine industries operating in the UK.
At Sea Watch Wales, we are dedicated to raising awareness, knowledge and conservation of the marine wildlife of the region. Our work is funded by the Countryside Council for Wales, Defra, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and Environment Wales; and we work closely with the local management authority, Ceredigion County Council.
Internships with Sea Watch have frequently led to established posts in national and international research and conservation bodies, as well as providing a stepping stone for students to undertake doctoral studies in marine mammal science.
Public awareness
We aim to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of the local marine wildlife and the habitats supporting them, to encourage respect and conservation of the area and its wildlife for future generations. We also run training courses for the public in cetacean identification and survey methods.
A list of recent of recent awareness and education achievements is given below:
- Sea Watch Director, Peter Evans, received the European Cetacean Society Conservation Award, 2012
- Sea Watch Foundation was recipient of the UNEP/ASCOBANS “Outreach and Education Award”, 2009
- Sea Watch Foundation was voted best UK animal adoption scheme by BBC Wildlife, December 2008
Research
The purpose of our research here is to monitor the marine mammal populations inhabiting Cardigan Bay, so as to gain information to aid the conservation and long-term well being of these animals and the local marine environment. This is achieved by conducting various projects including:
- Estimating the abundance and distribution of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and grey seals within Cardigan Bay using distance sampling and opportunistic boat surveys
- Maintaining and updating a catalogue of photographically identified bottlenose dolphins in Wales in order to study their abundance, social structure, movements and life histories.
