Song of the Whale Voyage - Iceland 2006

In June 2006, the Song of the Whale team arrives in Iceland for a summer project that will include research, education and outreach work. The waters around Iceland are an ideal place to study whales as they offer some of the best opportunities in the world to see and hear large baleen whales such as blue and fin whales, species which were greatly reduced in numbers by commercial whaling in the last century. Now, because of the diversity of species present (including rare blue whales) and the spectacular scenery, Iceland is a very popular destination for whale watching.

Non-invasive whale research techniques
The Song of the Whale team will be showcasing and developing non-invasive research techniques to demonstrate that whales don’t need to be killed or harmed in any way in order to study them. Currently Iceland’s Government undertakes ‘scientific whaling’, which involves killing whales under the guise of science, an activity which IFAW (and many other whale scientists) consider to be unnecessary and cruel.

Icelandic participants and student interns will take part in the project, spending time on board and so learning more about whale research from the Song of the Whale team.

Those avid readers of the web diary amongst you will know that this is the second field project for the SOTW team this year. Since leaving the Caribbean in April, Song of the Whale has been in high demand. We have visited Miami, Palm Beach, Charleston and New York for open days, school visits, donor visits and events. The team worked closely with IFAW’s new US office in Washington D.C, as well as HQ staff.

This forthcoming project in Iceland is a continuation of work started in 2004. We aim to collect acoustic recordings and observations of baleen whales such as blue and fin whales, as well as carrying out photo identification of whales encountered during the summer.