22 Sept. 2015 – It’s the kind of stuff you are dreaming about as a marine biologist – a high-end camera drone. Recently, a generous sponsor provided the Mériscope with a Phantom Pro drone, equipped with a HD camera and a remote monitoring and controlling panel. The drone opens a whole range of exciting possibilities,…
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A sad day for the beluga population of the St. Lawrence, with two dead belugas reported to the Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network of the St. Lawrence Estuary and adjacent gulf. Despite legal protection since 1979 and a comprehensive recovery strategy, the beluga population of the St. Lawrence has been steadily declining for a decade…
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“Together we have the power to protect the ocean”: inspired by the theme of the World Oceans Day 2014, the Mériscope launches a multi-year research program on contaminants and their effects on minke whales and belugas of the St. Lawrence estuary, in close collaboration with other research groups, universities, Canadian federal authorities, and the Marine…
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Some of you may have heard it through the grape vine: the Mériscope has recently concluded a partnership agreement with the Municipality of Longue-Rive, laying the foundation for a permanent research station and an interpretation center in the former church of Sault-au-Mouton. The concept for the interpretation center combines an interactive and playful exhibition on marine ecosystems…
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In the framework of our minke whale monitoring project, the Mériscope team has analyzed the sighting data of the years 2001-2013. Two direct results of this study are a bachelor thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the launch of our minke whale catalogue. We have also initiated a wide collaboration…
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May 4, 2012 – The International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 From Knowledge to Action Conference was held in Montreal from April 22-27. This conference, together with the preceding workshop for polar educators, was clearly one of the most stimulating networking and learning experiences I have ever had. The IPY 2012 Conference brought together 3150 people from 45…
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Feb. 4, 2012 – On February 2nd, the Expo-Science 2012 took place in Grandes Bergeronnes on the upper north shore of the St. Lawrence estuary. The exhibit, which was at its second edition this year, attracts some 300 students, the general public, and the media. As part of the Mériscope’s public outreach program, we have…
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Nov. 30, 2011 – The summer season 2011 was remarkable with regard to both, the field work and the lab projects. We were able to get substantial distribution data of minke whales, blue whales, and belugas for our habitat model. In an attempt to recover two radio tags for Dr. Brian Kot from Texas A&M…
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June 1st, 2010 – This season, we will be conducting passive acoustic monitoring of belugas and harbour porpoises in the St. Lawrence, in close collaboration with the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund and the University of Greifswald (Germany). The aim of the beluga study is to compare call rates of social vocalizations in three acoustically…
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September 30, 2009 – Just about a week after we had acquired our new zodiac, we learned that the municipality had decided to abandon the more or less floating docks because they were definitely due for replacement. We have made the necessary moves quickly to get a permit to build a private dock, to find…
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