Whale Museum lecture series: Oil spills and cetaceans

What we’ve learned from the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills

Thursday, August 29, 7 p.m., The Whale Museum

— from Tracie Merrill for The Whale Museum —

On Thursday, August 29, Gary Shigenaka, Senior Biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Emergency Response Division (ERD) , will discuss “Oil spills and cetaceans: what we’ve learned from the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills.” This lecture will be held at the Whale Museum at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, August 29, as part of The Whale Museum’s Lecture Series.

Prior to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, many marine mammal scientists believed that oil spills would have minimal effect on cetaceans like dolphins and whales.  It was thought that animals in the vicinity of a spill would simply avoid it; we now know that this is untrue, and exposure to oil in the two largest marine spills in U.S history resulted in profound and apparently long-term effects to exposed cetaceans.  Gary Shigenaka will present his perspective on the subject as a long-time spill response biologist interpreting the implications of monitoring and research over the last 30 years. In addition to experience with domestic oil spills (Exxon Valdez, Deep Water Horizon, and others), international responses have taken Gary to Japan, Spain, and Bangladesh. Gary serves as an instructor for many spill science and shoreline assessment classes; oversees research initiatives on chemical dispersants, in-situ burning, and Arctic spill response; is technical editor for NOAA’s biological response guides; and represents the U.S. DOC on the Region 10 (Oregon-Washington-Idaho) Regional Response Team.

The Lecture Series is dedicated to providing our local community and visiting public with knowledge and wonder of the natural world. The lectures are given by local or visiting experts in their field and they share their recent research projects, stories, and experiences. Each lecture is free and held at The Whale Museum.  Donations are greatly appreciated. For more information, call (360) 378-4710 ext.30.  The Whale Museum is located in Friday Harbor at 62 First St. N.  Founded in 1976, The Whale Museum’s mission is to promote stewardship of whales through education and research.  The Whale Museum can be found on-line at www.whalemuseum.org.