Upcoming Speakers and Events
January 8, 2025 from 6pm-8pm
Join us via Zoom or in person on
The Legacy
Speaker Series Program
with guest speaker
Anna Gierhart
About the Event
Whistles, Waves, and Regulations: Navigating Swim Tours and Uncovering Dusky Dolphin Communication in Kaikōura, NZ
About the Speaker
Anna Gierhart is a passionate cetologist with a Master’s in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her academic journey began at Point Loma Nazarene University, where she earned her Bachelor’s in Biology, laying a solid foundation in marine science and conservation policy. Her career has been guided by an unwavering commitment to marine mammal conservation, especially in understanding how human activity impacts marine ecosystems.
From a young age, annual whale-watching trips in Maui captivated Anna’s imagination; listening to humpback whale songs through a hydrophone sparked a lifelong dedication to cetaceans. This passion has since led her to work with organizations such as the US Navy Marine Mammal Program, where she contributed to research and training initiatives for bottlenose dolphins and sea lions. Her experience with NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries expanded her expertise, providing hands-on skills in analyzing marine mammal diets and aiding stranding responses. Today, her research focuses on the conservation and behavior of marine mammals through sustainable tourism and policy frameworks. She is passionate about promoting responsible, sustainable tourism practices that allow people to experience marine animals in their natural habitats.
Her current project in Kaikoura, New Zealand, examines the impact of swim tourism on dusky dolphins through boat-based surveys, photo-identification, and data collection to assess dolphin behavior in response to human interaction. She is also in the early stages of analyzing dusky dolphin acoustics under the mentorship of bioacoustician and ACS member Dr. Ann Bowles. Her primary research questions explore when and why dusky dolphins vocalize more or less, with plans to investigate how boat noise and swimmer presence influence their communication. In November, Anna presented her findings at the Perth Society for Marine Mammalogy conference, delivering a speed talk outlining her research insights and future directions.
Driven by her deep commitment to understanding and protecting marine life through science, policy, and sustainable tourism practices, Anna remains inspired by her early encounters with cetaceans. She is dedicated to advancing impactful conservation strategies for marine ecosystems worldwide.
September 11, 2024 7pm via Zoom and the Legacy
Dr. Audra Ames
About the Speaker
Dr. Audra Ames is a bioacoustician studying the communcation and echolocation systems of toothed whales. She is a postdoctoral research associate with the Animal Behavior and Senses Lab at Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute (San Diego, CA). Dr. Ames was a graduate student of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Lab at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she completed her Master's study of signature whistle development of a bottlenose dolphin calf in response to production of signature whistles from the calf's social group surrounding the calf's birth. She was recruited to study beluga vocal development at Oceanografic in Valencia, Spain as her PhD thesis following completion of her Master's thesis in 2016. The beluga vocal repertoire became Dr. Ames' primary focus until the completion of her PhD in 2019, when she pivoted her experience to studying additional species. She remained as a researcher at Oceanográfic (Spain) until December 2023, when she joined the team at Hubbs. Currently, her studes are focused on the communication sounds of belugas, narwhals, bottlenose dolphins, and Risso's dolphins. She is exploring the unique sounds individuals of these species produce to determine how they are produced and processed, if and how they are affected by human-made disturbances, and if they can be used for monitoring purposes.
About the Presentation
Narwhal and Beluga Whales
Information About Attending In Person Aboard the Legacy
Before the presentation, join us for Happy Hour aboard the Legacy at 6:30 PM. You can enjoy snacks for $3, as well as a selection of beer, wine, and canned cocktails priced between $5 and $9.
Location wise, we'll be at the Legacy Whale Watch (sdwhale.com) 1717 Quivira Rd, San Diego, CA 92109, behind the Seaforth Sportsfishing building. Be sure to arrive early because we have someone waiting at the dock gate to let you through.
Parking will be available at 1717 Quivira Rd. (Seaforth Sportsfishing parking lot) or out on 'Quivira Rd where designated. Pleasenote that the neighboring businesses on either side of the Legacy parking lot are towing aggressively, so don't park in Seaforth Boat Rentals, Seaforth Marina, Marina Village parking lots, or risk being towed. Parts of their parking lot are marked for permit parking, so be sure to look for those posts.