Virtual Gear Up Workshop for Marine Naturalists

Join The Whale Museum’s Virtual 2026 Gear Up Workshop this spring! Presentations will be hosted live on Zoom, with a recording available to registrants who cannot make the live time.

This year’s theme is: Caught Up: Fishery Interactions & Entanglement of Marine Mammals. In recent years, there has been a lot of stories in the news regarding entangled humpback whales, orcas being caught as bycatch in Alaska, and other entangled marine mammal rescues. With an increase in local humpback whale numbers, this issue may become even more prevalent. In this workshop, we will discuss entanglement statistics, whale and pinniped entanglement response and training, fishery interactions with killer whales, technological innovations to reduce whale entanglements, and how you can help with this issue. Come join us! This workshop is open to everyone!

Invited Presenters include:

• Erin Casellas, Response Program Coordinator, The Whale Museum on Marine Mammal Entanglement Response in the Salish Sea.

• Dr. Martin Haulena, Head Veterinarian & Director, Animal Health, Vancouver Aquarium on pinniped entanglement and rescue. 

• Cascadia Research Collective Staff on WA/OR/CA whale entanglement rates and the West Coast Large Scale Entanglement Response Program.

• Emma Luck, Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow, Alaska Mariculture Alliance on global fisheries interactions and killer whales.

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife Staff on the Whale Safe Fisheries Project.

The registration fee is $40 for non-members; $30 for TWM or SSAMN members.

Zoom link and workshop agenda will be sent to the email address provided at registration closer to the start of the workshop.

Questions can be directed to Tracie Merrill through email.

Renew your Whale Museum membership.
Renew your SSAMN membership (Marine Naturalist Training Program graduates only).