Since the late 1990s, we have studied whales and other marine life in the Gulf of Maine. You can help by providing more eyes on the water and reporting animal and litter sightings!
We have traditionally collected most of our whale data from whale watch boats. This means that our surveys are limited to a whale watch’s relatively short trip time, and we don’t always get to document all the whales in our area. This project aims to expand knowledge of the distribution of whales in the Gulf of Maine and learn about human impacts with the help of volunteer boaters and fishermen.
After experimenting with various data collection methods over the past few years, we’re pilot-testing a new interface on the WatchSpotter app. This allows any boater to contribute to our research by reporting sightings of whales and marine debris. We’re looking for help testing the app and providing feedback before we do a wider launch. Want to help? Fill out the Google form below and we’ll contact you with more information!