July marked 15 years since MERS first incorporated as a Society.
What started as five friends who were compelled to learn more about the Humpbacks returning to Northeastern Vancouver Island and the Minkes that kept swimming past Alert Bay, has turned into an organization with a staff of 10, an office in Port McNeill, and numerous research, education and response projects, many that now have impacts coast-wide.
On our anniversary, we sat down to reflect on our journey and what we have accomplished over the last decade and a half. Presented here in a photo essay, we summarize some of our biggest contributions to conservation.
15 MERS moments for conservation by MERSClick arrow to advance slide show.
It has been an amazing journey so far and we can’t wait to see what the next decade and a half will bring, but we need your help!
Keep MERS thriving for another 15 years by becoming a monthly donor to help secure our future of marine education, research, response and conservation!
Monthly donors provide reliable, sustainable funding. This helps us better plan and undertake our work, creating bigger impact.
Right now, your support will go towards work that includes:
- Supporting our new eDNA project with PhD candidate Amy Migneault, as she investigates a non-invasive research methodology to collect genetics from Humpbacks – a critical piece to understand population structure and the best way to manage and protect these animals.
- Spreading the word about our new Whale-Safe Boating Course to ensure as many boaters, paddlers, and sailors on the coast of BC learn how to keep themselves AND the marine mammals safe.
- Organizing a collaborative, multi-stakeholder workshop to investigate the source and solution to neck entanglements in sea lions.
- Finishing our multi-year scar analysis that looks to quantify the number of Humpback Whales that have been entangled to better understand the scope of this problem.
Not in the position for an ongoing donation? Not a problem, one-time support is ALWAYS appreciated as well.
