Voluntariado con cetáceos en Canadá

Volunteer opportunity in Quebec, Canada - URGENT July - August 2019

Research team Member, English or French speaker

*Employer *: Mingan Island Cetacean Study, under the supervision of our
Research Coordinator.

Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) is a non-profit, charitable research
organization based in Longue Pointe de Mingan (Canada), dedicated to
ecological studies of marine mammals and marine ecosystems. Founded in
1979 by Richard Sears, MICS was the first organization to carry out
long-term research of cetaceans in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and first to
carry out long-term studies of the endangered blue whale. The principal
study areas include the Quebec North Shore in the Mingan Island /
Anticosti region, the Gaspe Peninsula and St. Lawrence Estuary. MICS
focuses on photo-identification for the following species: blue whale,
right whale, fin whale, humpback whale and minke whale. For more
information on our research, our ongoing projects and our scientific
publications, please visit our website: www.rorqual.com.

Our station also runs 2 outreach programs:
- Week-long ecotourism trips where the public joins us in the field as
we carry out our research activities and educate them about cetaceans
research and conservation; this helps us fund the research
- Museum visitors who come to learn about cetacean biology and ecology,
as well as the research work being done at the station
All team members actively participate in these 2 important programs.

We are looking for one person to become part of our team at MICS for the
2019 field research season, based in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan (Quebec,
Canada)

*Location**
*Mingan Island Cetacean Study field research station
378 Bord de la Mer
Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan
Quebec, G0G 1V0
Canada
*
*

*Dates**
*From July 1st to end of August/Beginning September, Full-time.

*Job description**
*Team members participate in all tasks required to conduct research in
the field and to help in any operational aspects. Days are spent at sea
and on land, based on weather and a rotating schedule.

- On land, at the station (70% of the time) :
o Data entry & management: : Data pre-processing (download, organising,
backup, photo-treatment, upload to matching software) logbook writing
with interns, data entry and maintenance.
o Matching (photo-identification using our dedicated software).
o Maintenance of the research equipment
o Education/outreach: guided museum visits
o Interaction and care for ecotourists (research and outdoor activities,
meal prep)

- At sea (30% of the time) :
o Visual monitoring of the research area
o Introduction to navigation at sea
o Data collection (Photo-Id, data recording, field notes, biological
sampling)
o Maintenance and preparation of the navigation and research equipment
at the start and end of the day
o Education and outreach for ecotourists on board
*
*

*Requirements**
*- Be 18 years old or more
- Education : Relevant university or college degree in progress
(Biology, ecology, environmental sciences, etc?) or recently graduated.
- Preference will be given to candidates showing an interest in joining
MICS on a long-term basis
- English speaker, French would be a bonus.
- Similar experience is preferable.
- MICS is a non-profit organisation, this is an unpaid position. New
team members have to cover their own transportation costs.
- Accommodation and food are provided by MICS for the entire duration of
their stay..
- New team members have to be flexible and able to work as part of a
team in sometimes difficult conditions (7 days / week, long hours at
sea, cold weather).
*
*

*Learning outcomes**
*New team members will gain experience and knowledge on our focus study
species, day-to-day ecological and biological fieldwork (on land and at
sea), biological sampling, data maintenance, basic navigation at sea,
operational aspects of a research station at sea and on land. They will
also gain confidence when interacting with the public, and live a rich
experience within a diverse and international team
*
*

*How to apply :**
*Please send a CV and cover letter to mics@rorqual.com, before APRIL 26,
2019.
Feel free to contact us via email for any further questions.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

The MICS Team