American Cetacean Society - Los Angeles Chapter 
FREE Monthly Speaker Series 
Tuesday, August 28
at 7:30 p.m.

Sharing the Science: How 2000 whale watchers are doing what researchers can’t (afford to) do
by Ted Cheeseman, HappyWhale

There’s something amazing happening across the Pacific Ocean: every single humpback whale swimming in waters accessible by tour vessels may soon be identified as an individual and tracked. A growing team of citizen scientists collaborating with researchers through the web platform Happywhale, www.Happywhale.com, have now identified over 15000 individuals from the Antarctic to Alaska. Suddenly, whale science has become personal, and accessible, and hopefully, more powerful. With this, we are more quickly identifying entangled whales, learning if individuals who have suffered entanglements survive. Join us to enjoy stories and images from an inspiring movement in citizen science.

Ted Cheeseman grew up in California, son of a naturalist and zoology professor couple whose shared mission in life was to educate the public about wildlife. Ted began whale watching (and getting seasick) at a very young age and has been leading wildlife and marine mammal focused tourist expeditions for Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris (www.cheesemans.com) for more than two decades with a focus on Antarctica and, at warmer latitudes, on responsibly operated in-water whale experiences. Ted is currently a PhD student studying humpback whales, developer of the marine mammal citizen science platform, and owner of Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris.