Lecture on International Whale Disentanglement

The Center for Coastal Studies’ (CCS) popular Napi’s Winter Lecture Series continues Wednesday, February 25, at 5 pm with Scott Landry, Director of the Center’s Marine Animal Entanglement Response Program (MAER). Landry will speak about “International Entanglement Response.”

The event will be held at the Center’s Hiebert Marine Laboratory, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown. Admission is free, and the talk will also be broadcast via Zoom. Refreshments will be served.

When a marine mammal becomes entangled in ropes, an all-too-common event in New England waters, the MAER team is alerted through a 24-hour hotline, and sets out from Provincetown’s MacMillan Pier aboard its specially-equipped rescue vessel, Ibis. Aboard Ibis are expert staff trained in disentanglement tools, techniques and safety protocols developed by the Center over decades.

In addition to MAER, Landry coordinates the Global Whale Entanglement Response Network (GWERN) with CCS Adjunct Scientist, Astrid Frisch. Working with the International Whaling Commission, GWERN is building capacity for a worldwide network of professionally trained and equipped entanglement responders through training workshops, apprenticeships, and the development of advanced training curricula.

In addition to vessel strikes, entanglements are a leading threat to whales and sea turtles, often causing serious injuries and death. That’s why disentanglement efforts are so critical, especially for endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale. More than 50 percent of known North Atlantic right whale mortalities have been attributed to either entanglements or ship strikes. Since its founding, the Center for Coastal Studies has freed more than 200 whales and sea turtles.

The Napi’s Winter Lecture Series is named after the restaurant owned by the late Napi and Helen Van Dereck, longtime supporters of the Center for Coastal Studies, who originally hosted these talks in their famous Provincetown restaurant, Napi’s. While the location of the lectures has moved to the Center’s Hiebert Marine Laboratory, the name of this popular event is still called Napi’s Winter Lecture Series, in memory of our friends Napi and Helen.

Reservations requested but not required. Click here to register.