Volunteers needed to save the whales

Volunteers needed to save the whales 7/5/14

Volunteers are needed to help in marine expeditions to research a group of killer whales at risk of imminent extinction.

The orcas around the Hebrides are the the UK’s only known resident whales of their type and the The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) is recruiting volunteers to work alongside marine scientists in surveys running from May to October.

Volunteers will gather crucial data on whales, dolphins and porpoises as well as basking sharks off the west coast.

The new expeditions form part of the only offshore, long-term cetacean monitoring scheme of its type in the UK and will be carried out from HWDT’s specialised research yacht Silurian, previously used in the filming of the BBC’s acclaimed series, The Blue Planet.

Eva Varga, HWDT Operations Manager, said: “Our 2014 surveys offer an excellent volunteering opportunity to help ensure the long-term survival of Scotland’s remarkable cetaceans and basking sharks, while learning new skills and exploring some of the most wild and remote corners of Britain.

For details, contact Mark Whitaker at volunteercoordinator@hwdt.org or 01688 302620, or visit www.hwdt.org.

► Hebridean whales face extinction

Volunteers needed to save the whales 7/5/14

Photo: N.Van Geel/HWDT