Marine Mammal Observation course?

Hi,

I am looking to do a marine mammal observation course, my problem is that I'm not available the dates this course is run by the Marine Mammal Observer Association (MMOA) and I need to do this quite soon.

I just thought It was worth trowing out there in case anyone here knows more or have the contacts for a trainer here in Ireland.

Many thanks in advance,

Andreas

Thanks Darragh, I'm afraid it has to be the MMO course. I have emailed a few people to find out more.

Thanks.

Andreas

Melander wrote:

Thanks Darragh, I'm afraid it has to be the MMO course. I have emailed a few people to find out more.

Thanks.

Andreas

I'll make a few inquiries for you Andreas and let you know

Many thanks Ciaran.

I have found people that do run the course the problem is that I need to do it in the coming months and there is not much available.

To clarify, it has to be a JNCC approved Marine Mammal Observation course, there is one held in Invernes but I was just hoping that there could be an instructor somewhere in Ireland.

Andreas

Just a short note.

I went ahead and did this course in Inverness:
www.carolynbarton.co.uk/html/uk_mmo_training.html

It concerns Irish waters as well as those of the UK.

I found the course very interesting, it mainly broke down legislation, identification, equipment and recording regarding these animals mainly aimed towards people working on vessels in need of a Marine Mammal Observed due to legislation. It is not needed for a hobby watcher but interesting none the less.

It was also interesting to talk to the other attendants there at the break times as some had been working all over the world doing this and similar duties.

All in all it was a highly enjoyable day,

Andreas

I'll try to write a proper summary later when I'm going through my notes.

Marine Mammal Observation course summary

Ok so I have reached into the abyss that is my memory and will try to summarize the course shortly. This will be general enough so don’t use this as a guide, there are many rules that I might not bring up here.

The course is aimed at qualifying Marine Mammals Observers for work mainly where noise pollution could have an effect on nearby animals. This includes explosions, underwater surveys using air guns, dredging (Ireland only) and so forth. It can be done in Ireland, organized by the Irish Whale and Dolphin group, I however did the course in Inverness and it was held by Carolyn Barton.

I will not go into too much detail but give some general examples.
If there is a condition concerning marine mammals a monitoring zone is used, for instance 500m from the source of the noise. The conditions vary but generally pre start monitoring is used where the start of the operations will be delayed should a marine mammal be spotted during this time. Following the pre start there can be a soft start during which the sound is gradually intensified. There is no delay should a marine mammal be spotted during the soft start or during full operations unless this is specified in the condition.

Any marine mammals, as well as basking sharks and turtles that are spotted are recorded. This includes a description, size, time, location, behavior, direction of travel, water depth and more.
The description should be enough for a reader to identify the species, if possible. This means that If I record a common dolphin but my description is not good enough to rule out other species, the I.D. will be changes to just dolphin. Obviously an observer should only specify the species if certain.

Ways of identify the species include a combination of pattern, size, behavior, fins, the shape of the blows. I had never realized the importance of the blows before this. Some of the species are easy enough while others a very tricky in my opinion. I think the best way to learn is to get a guide book, or a print out with descriptions of how to i.d. these animals and head out watching. A handy one is the difference between a grey seal and a harbor seal which can be seen in the shape of its head. The harbor seal has a “dog-shaped” head while the grey seals head is flatter.

There was also a segment in the course which dealt with equipment. We were showed how to construct a range finder out of a stick, now I found this a bit dodgy and I would have to test my stick many times to make sure It works as should. I might just get a pair of good binoculars with a built in range finder and skip the McGuyver trickeries.

The binoculars should have a magnification of 7-8 and an objective diameter of 35+, this will let more light in and hence improve the performance in the early/late hours of the day. It is also nice if they are waterproof and have a built in range finder.

During the course there were also exercises where we all got to practice on filling in a number of sheets for the descriptions, the monitoring process etc. and we also got to try to identify a range of animals from photographs.

That’s what I can reminder from the top of my head right now but there was obviously more and feel free to ask any question (I might not be able to answer).

In general the course was very interesting but not needed for a hobby observer as most of the information regarding the actual animals can be found on the internet or in guide books.

JohnH wrote:

Still, a most interesting experience. Thanks Andreas, for the precis.

It sounds as though it was pretty comprehensive, I trust you got some sleep?

Thanks again,

John

Heheh John, well I did need sleep after I can say that much, especially after the Scottish ale.

Just realised that is says short summary in the initial sentence, followed by an A4 of ramble

I only wish that I would have had more time in Inverness to look around, I did however managed to find a Zebra Plec during my short visit

JohnH wrote:

...nice find indeed.

Did you buy it?

John

I wish.

No I did not, have neither the space of the funds right now but it's interesting that more juvenile, captive bred fish have become available.