WEBINAR: Marine Mammal Monitoring Technology & Innovation
IMarEST TV recording by the Marine Mammals Special Interest Group on the 22nd March 2023. This webinar was presented by Andrew Wright of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Emily Charry Tissier of WhaleSeeker and Lorenzo Scala of Seiche.
This webinar explores the latest advances in monitoring technology for marine mammals, including acoustic and infrared camera monitoring, AI-powered automated detection software, and drone surveillance. It goes on to discuss the innovative ways in which these technologies are being used to study and protect marine mammal populations around the world.
About the Speakers
Dr Andrew Wright leads the Maritimes Region Fisheries and Oceans Canada assessment of the impacts of shipping noise on North Atlantic right whales (NARW) as part of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. His research focuses on sleeping behaviours, acoustic masking, stress responses and body condition. He has been working on the science-policy boundary worldwide for over a decade. His experiences have led him to champion better communication of science to policymakers and the lay public and spearhead efforts to bring more marketing techniques into conservation outreach. Andrew will introduce how drone technology has been applied in his associated research on how whale blow samples can be collected via non-invasive means and what valuable biological information can be derived.
Emily Charry Tissier is a biologist with 20 years of experience working in coastal and Arctic ecosystems. Passionate about working with multidisciplinary teams and sustainable growth, she is the co-founder and CEO of WhaleSeeker, a Techstars Montréal AI company and an Ocean Solutions' Accelerator company. WhaleSeeker uses AI to automate whale detection from imagery. They help scale whale detection for many clients ranging from governments, private industry, and NGOs. As the first Certified B Corp company using AI in service of wildlife, WhaleSeeker cares about the ethics surrounding the development of their AI as well as the use of their solutions.
Lorenzo Scala is a Senior Marine Scientist at Seiche, with expertise in marine mammal monitoring technologies, including PAM, HD and infrared camera monitoring, underwater acoustics, and marine mammal ecology. Lorenzo's 15 years of experience provides him with a broad understanding of bioacoustics and he has applied various technologies and platforms in acoustic data collection, processing, and analysis. He has spent significant time in the offshore sector, leading project operations in the field, troubleshooting, refining methodologies, and gaining valuable insight into various marine industries and research. Lorenzo is skilled in the installation, operation and servicing of various environmental monitoring systems. He provides technical support to PAM operators worldwide and advises on project survey design, technical requirements, and risk assessments.
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