Wellfleet Public Library

WELLFLEET PUBLIC LIBRARY'S WOMEN IN SCIENCE SERIES

MARINE ANIMAL ENTANGLEMENT RISKS, RESPONSES, AND PREVENTION

A TALK BY PAULETTE DURAZO, CENTER FOR COASTAL STUDIES

During a disentanglement attempt, there is no more pressing issue in front of a team than whether they can save this one whale and, if so, how they might do it. Disentanglement cases often involve dozens of experts working around the clock creating strategies, techniques, equipment and logistics for the next attempt. However, it is critical to understand that each entangled whale that is found embodies simply the most visible symptom of a much larger problem that plagues the remaining population of whales and many other species - entanglements in fishing gear. Join Marine Animal Entanglement Response team member Paulette Durazo to learn what local resources, including the Center for Coastal Studies, aredoing and what innovations are being made to protect future generations of marine animal life. Paulette Durazo is from Mexico. She received her Bachelor in Oceanography and her Master's degree in a comparative analysis of temporal and spatial variations of harbor seal's diet in Mexico at the Marine Science Faculty of Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. After graduating from her master's studies she spent her winters working as a Naturalist in Baja California Sur, Mx. She participated as part of the gray whale research team for Laguna San Ignacio Ecosystem Science Program conducting photo identification and as survey's observer. In April of 2019, she joined the Center for Coastal Studies as part of the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team and as a Research Assistant for the Humpback Whale Studie