Whale Watching with Cape Ann Whale Watch

It has been a while! WhaleFest 2015 was over 3 months ago! Doesn't time fly!

For our little Morgan time has been flying the company of whales, those working to protect them and those who are loving watching them (in a responsible way of course!). Morgan was now back out in the USA with WCA Partner Patti Sullivan and Paul DiGangi, and as we moved into Spring and then Summer, what better to do then get out on a whale watch! (To be honest regardless of the season or weather, for Morgan the best thing to do is always be out on the open ocean with her family!).

So Morgan, Patti and Paul headed out with Cape Ann Whale Watch off Gloucester, Massachusetts in search of whales. 

Morgan and Paul with the wonderful crew and some huge baleen!

Onboard the Hurricane II Morgan met loads of excited passengers, and Cynde Bierman McInnis who not only runs the comprehensive educational programme that is integrated into all Cape Ann Whale Watch trips but also is the Chair of the Responsible Whale Watching Working Group of the WCA and is taking the lead on the new joint educational initiative called the Net Effect Campaign. Through this WCAs responsible whale watching partners aim to talk to passengers about the issues of bycatch and ghost gear which continues to trap, injure and kill all kinds of marine wildlife including whales and dolphins once it is lost or discarded. 

Morgan, Paul and the fab Cynde

It was quite a trip and a brilliant day, with kids and adults alike getting fantastic encounters with majestic humpback whales, the full educational experience of whale watching with Cape Ann Whale Watch as well as learning the story of one young Orca kept away from her family and her rightful place in the beautiful open ocean.

One of many encounters that day with a humpback whale!

Enjoying time with Leandra, Layla and Andrew 

Read more about the Responsible Whale Watching Working Groups's Net Effect education initiative at the WCA website.

Europe: Close Dolphinaira Demo

Having spent some time watching wild whales and dolphins in Iceland, our little Morgan headed to Brussels to meet up with World Cetacean Alliance partner The Dolphin’s Voice and to attend the ‘Europe: Close Dolphinaria’ demonstration in Brussels. Held on 28^th June 2014 the event was attended by around 400 people from France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil, Germany, UK, Ireland, Greece, Czech Republic to name a few. All coming together to unite for a world free of captive whales and dolphins, and our little Morgan was there. The event was also attended by Ric O’Barry who set up The Dolphin Project and who has been actively educating the public and raising awareness about the captivity issue, and was featured in the award winning film The Cove which exposed the yearly dolphin drive in Taji, Japan.

Currently there are 34 dolphinairums in 15 European Union counties with more than 300 small cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) on display, from Belugas to Orca like Morgan. Everyone at the event, including our little Morgan hoped it would help urge the European Union to ban the import of whales and dolphins and ultimately end captivity.

This years event included lots of motivational speeches, but our little Morgan particularly liked the formation of the words FREE by the crowd and the team from Bite Back.

© Valeria Machado

Annelies Mullens, one of the events organisers, said to Morgan ‘These photos say it all: alone we are small, but together we will make a difference –FREE dolphins! Every single person who came to the demo today helped make this happen. We made a huge and powerful statement to the dolphinaria industry. Working together in a team with people from so many countries will help to end dolphin captivity. Thank you!"

Our little Morgan certainly felt proud to be amongst people who are as passionate as she is about ending captivity of whales and dolphins, and hopes to attend the event next year… and if enough people do you never know we may be able to make the words FREEDOM!

© Sasha Abdolmajid

A huge thank you to Richard O’Barry, Annelies Mullens, Yvon Godefroid, Bite Back and everyone who contributed to the development of this event. A special thank you to The Dolphin’s Voice for taking our little Morgan along!

Back to School

Conservation, it’s not just about collecting data, publishing results, changing policies, providing protection (although these are really important). An absolutely fundamental part of any conservation success is education. Getting the word out about different species, the threats they and their habitat face and what can be done to help. Central to this is teaching and inspiring the next generation, our kids. Getting them passionate about the environment; they are the future decision makers and those decisions we make now will affect them more than anyone. How sad would it be if our children and our children’s children only ever see Maui’s dolphins in picture books? Only ever learn about the amazing blue whale, the biggest animal to ever live on our planet,  from books or more likely some future version of the internet….? How sad if they look back and wonder why we missed such an opportunity to end the policy of keeping such amazing, sentient beings as whales and dolphins in cramped bathtubs….How devastating that if as adults they say ‘I wish I’d known….?’

Many of the WCA partners, charities, businesses and individuals alike are dedicated to educating and inspiring people about whales and dolphins. In essence that is what Follow Free Morgan is all about. Only last week our little Morgan was out on a boat collecting data and learning all about the amazing marine wildlife off the Cornish coast.

Educating passengers

WhaleFest is another perfect example of getting people, and especially kids, inspired about whales and dolphins. And it works. Jasmine and Cameron, just two of the thousands of kids that came to WhaleFest in March and were inspired. Returning home, and back to school, the pair couldn’t keep quiet about all they had seen and done, especially about Morgan’s story, bending friends, classmates and teachers ears on a daily basis. When their Granddad Malcolm (a WCA Partner) told them about Follow Free Morgan, they wanted to get involved. So on the return from Cornwall, our little Morgan stopped in on Jasmine and Cameron’s school in Bradford Upon Avon. Here, proud as punch, both kids showed Morgan off to their classes, doing a show and tell, and telling everyone all over again about WhaleFest and the story of Morgan….

Cameron, Jasmine and Morgan

If you have a question for Morgan, or would like to take her on an adventure why not leave a message on her Contact Page?