Life on the Edge: Uncut Scenes 1 of 8
Beluga field camp, Yakutat Alaska
If you want to learn about wildlife species and understand the roles they play in their ecosystems you must venture into the field. For beluga whales this means heading north and being prepared to brave the elements. The cold, of course, but also the mosquitos! In summer there are days you would do anything for a cool breeze to fend of the legions of biting insects. To the locals, the mosquito is wryly referred to as the State bird! However, all these discomforts are more than compensated for by the sheer beauty of a landscape unspoiled by the hand of man. The glacial fiords of Alaska’s Yakutat Bay are one such location where we have been privileged to work. In these remote cathedrals you cannot but pause and ponder on life’s larger meaning and that you have been fortunate to observe the white whale in its environment.
ABOUT GREG
Before coming to FAU’s Harbor Branch, Greg earned both his bachelor’s degree and his doctorate degree from University College Dublin in Ireland, researching badgers, a small mammal related to weasels, minks and otters. So, how did he end up in Florida researching whales thousands of miles away? Once Greg graduated with his doctorate degree, he moved to California in search of jobs. After facing several rejections, one person at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in San Diego said he had a small project on belugas no one was working on. He was shocked at such a unique opportunity to work with marine mammals. “I pounced on that,” he says. “And the rest, as they say, is history.”
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