Whale Research Ain't No Picnic: Required Reading

The Whale's Picnic by TekKiah

Last week I was lucky enough to go to Maui and help out a fellow researcher*, Dr. James Darling. Jim researches humpback whale song - in fact, he was one of the first people to actually see a humpback whale singing, and to realize that only males sing. He's also the author of several books and articles on whales. In addition to the great science writing, these books have excellent descriptions of the life of a whale biologist. As Jim describes, whale research is not for the faint of heart or the easily discouraged:

"Finding whales in a good study location is not the end to the challenges of studying whale behavior at sea - it's just the beginning. Think for a minute of the factors involved. 

First, there is the ocean, which can change from calm to life threatening - at times in a matter of minutes. Then there are the whales themselves, with movements restricted by nothing but the shoreline and physiology, ranging over huge distances. Moreover, they spend 90 percent of their time hidden underwater. 

Then there is the assortment of electrotechnical equipment such as digital cameras and recorders, hydrophones (underwater microphones), and GPS units that have become the mainstays of research and must work as they bounce around in damp, salty conditions on small boats. There are the boats themselves, prone to breakdowns and periodic downtime for maintenance. 

The flow of a research season often goes like this: Whales are present, but ocean is impossible; or ocean is calm but the whales are gone; or both whales and ocean are good but the boat breaks down; or everything is working but the rain last night ruined the visibility underwater. (You get the idea)." 

From: Hawaii's Humpbacks: Unveiling the Mysteries (if you purchase it from the whale trust, the money goes to fund research) 

This last paragraph is just about the best description of whale research I have ever read, and I think it should be required reading for the friends of whale researchers (or people thinking they want to go into whale research). Basically, if you get into whale research, be prepared for everything to go wrong.

Even when things are going right, whale research is often hard, uncomfortable work:

"The romance of whale research dies fast. One's motive has to be strong and clear when sitting on a hard rock cliff in the Patagonia desert with a near-freezing wind driving sand through your clothes - for eight or more hours a day, every day, for two months. Or spending a day in a small open boat, the pounding waves slowly driving your spinal column into your brain; or camping on arctic ice in wind so strong the only reason the tent stays in place is because you are lying in it - while polar bears lurk around on the surrounding ice pack; or finding yourself sick in the equatorial heat, or out at sea in a tiny boat crammed with gear. 

To do all this, one has to be dedicated." 

From: With the Whales (out of print, but you can find it used on Amazon).

These descriptions make me extremely happy, because they do such a great job of describing what an incredible pain in the butt (or spinal column) whale research can be. And they describe the kind of person you should strive to be to do that research: dedicated, tolerant to pain, discomfort, boredom, and frustration, and passionate about what you are doing.**

*And by "fellow researcher" I mean "super cool whale scientist with tons of experience who it was a privilege to help out for a couple of days.
**I also think these things apply to other types of biologists (see this video for an example).