“I didn’t know what a stinky minke was but now it’s my favourite whale”
Thanks to everyone who supported The Green Match Fund campaign and funding from Flora and Fauna International Community Support Fund, we welcomed school children aboard our floating classroom, Silurian, for the first time since pre-pandemic, to find out what it’s like to live and work on a whale research vessel.
In partnership with CAOLAS, we welcomed aboard five schools in and around Tobermory, Salen and Strontian - some for the first time in over a decade and others for the very first time - to learn first-hand about the amazing whales, dolphins and porpoises that can be seen locally.
“I enjoyed the whole day, my favourite thing was listening to all the different sounds.”
“Today I learned about the sounds of the ocean. My favourite part was going to the small boat to the big boat.”
Sessions are aimed at giving children a glimpse into life on board and the different roles of both staff and volunteers who participate in research expeditions. Pupils are given the opportunity to explore the vessel, learn basic nautical terminology, experience how we monitor acoustics by listening to porpoise clicks and dolphin whistles and learn how to conduct visual surveys - including spotting with binoculars and shouting “sighting!”
“I enjoyed looking through the binoculars and I liked pulling the toilet 25 times to flush it and I liked to pretend to steer and I didn’t know what a stinky minke was but now it’s my favourite whale”
“I really enjoyed learning about the hydrophone and the noises all the animals make”
“We would strongly recommend that any school takes the opportunity to engage with the HWDT and support them in any way they can. We came away from our experience with very happy and engaged children!”
In the evenings, whilst alongside the pontoons in Tobermory and Salen (on the mainland), Silurian’s hatch was opened to the public and almost 50 visitors joined the crew on board. The team were delighted to hear of the amazing encounters folk had experienced and showed people around the vessel, answering questions about the Trust's research expeditions which monitor whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks across the west coast.
We would like to extend a warm thanks to CAOLAS for supporting in organising the trip, as well as Jan and Mark at Salen Jetty for hosting us and everyone else who made it possible, including our fab boat crew and long term volunteer Andy.