Sea Watch Foundation Internship Opportunity
Interns are invited to assist the Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) with the running of the “Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project”. The project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based and land-based surveys. SWF has been monitoring these populations on behalf of the Welsh government (through funding provided by Natural Resources Wales) for two decades. Cardigan Bay contains Britain’s largest coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, for which two Special Areas of Conservation have been established under the EU Habitats Directive. Interns will assist New Quay staff by taking part in the following tasks: Land-based surveys Boat-based surveys Photo-identification matching Data entry Raising public awareness Education initiatives and events Assisting with and participation in training courses and other needs of the charity. In addition to these tasks, we have some specialist equipment: a hydrophone, a polecam, and an aerial drone to opportunistically collect acoustic, video and aerial data during boat-based surveys. Sea Watch has also been contributing to a project to collect dolphin blow samples for population genetics and microbiome analyses. Interns interested in these subjects may also have the opportunity to assist in data collection for these projects. Interns are required from early April until the end of October 2022. The research season is split into four separate periods, each lasting 7 weeks. The research periods for the 2022 season are: Period 1: April 11 - May 29 Period 2: May 30- July 17 Period 3: July 18 - September 4 Period 4: September 5- October 23 Interns are expected to arrive on the first day of their chosen period and depart on the first day of the next period. Unfortunately these dates are not flexible. Preference will be given to those applying for more than one period. Interns will be based in New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales. Accommodation is provided by a private landlord through rental of a house that interns share at a rate of around £74 per person per week. Rooms are shared between two or three people, with a total of nine people in the house at any given time. Please be aware that while every effort is made to accommodate interns in single sex rooms, in some cases it might not be possible. If you have a strong preference, please indicate so in the application form and we will try our best to accommodate this. Interns are responsible for their own travel, accommodation and living expenses, but it is generally quite easy to obtain part-time paid work in the area if required. Important skills/qualifications Essential: an ability to work independently in a meticulous and reliable manner strong commitment to volunteering work willingness to work long hours outdoors in often changeable Welsh weather good IT skills (Office package) an ability to get on well with others in a small team and in shared accommodation Desirable: a strong interest and some knowledge of British cetaceans a background in marine biology/environmental science or similar prior experience in boat-based survey work good verbal and written communication skills and in public speaking experience in interacting with the public All interns will be trained in cetacean observation and identification, in boat survey protocols, and photo-identification of bottlenose dolphins. Normal office hours are from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs, but field work regularly falls outside these hours. Please note that while we are hopeful that the field season will progress as planned, if new COVID restrictions are imposed in 2022, internships may need to be postponed or suspended, although there are various home based volunteering roles that can be undertaken should this occur. International applications are welcome but it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met and we ask applicants to highlight their chosen visa option in their application. Please note that Sea Watch Foundation is unable to sponsor visa applications for Research Interns. If you are interested in this position, please contact Katrin on katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk with a completed Research Intern application form (available on the Sea Watch website) and CV by 31st January 2022. Decisions will be made by 21st February 2022.
Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) are looking for a Research Assistant / Intern Coordinator to assist with the running of the “Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project”. This position is unpaid but (shared) accommodation will be provided free of charge. The project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based and land-based surveys. SWF has been monitoring these populations on behalf of the Welsh government (through funding provided by Natural Resources Wales) for two decades. Cardigan Bay contains Britain’s largest coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, for which two Special Areas of Conservation have been established under the EU Habitats Directive. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: Coordination between the Monitoring Officer and project interns – in charge of the intern shared house and the intern weekly office rota. Assisting New Quay staff in training interns and other volunteers in land- and boat based surveys, photo ID studies, database entry, and more. Assisting the Monitoring Officer in all phases of the research. Liaising closely with the Education Officer and Education Assistant. Optional opportunity to undertake a personal research project supervised by the Monitoring Officer. Research topic will be chosen according to Sea Watch Foundation requirements and applicant’s interests. Requirements: The successful applicant is expected to have completed a BSc degree (or higher) in biology, marine biology, zoology, or related field and able to demonstrate previous experience in marine mammal studies. A strong interest and knowledge of British cetaceans and experience are beneficial. The applicant should ideally have some experience using DSLR cameras. Practical experience of photo-identification (both photography and matching) is desirable. Experience with other equipment regularly used by Sea Watch Foundation such as hydrophone, polecam, theodolite, digiscope and aerial camera drone is advantageous. The applicant must be proficient with database and word processing software and be willing to learn new software applications. Specific experience in use of Access and GIS would be advantageous. The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player since the project will involve working closely with other researchers, but must also be able to supervise small groups of people given that they will be coordinating a team of at least 8 interns. The Research Assistant and interns live and work together on a daily basis which requires a high degree of interpersonal skills to maintain relationships and team morale. Previous experience working successfully in similar roles is essential. Applicants must be self-motivated, with the drive and determination to work independently and responsibly without direct supervision. The work load is varied and therefore a high degree of organisation, attention to detail, and ability to prioritise are essential. If a personal research project is undertaken, this brings the opportunity to submit work for scientific publication, and for presentation at the European Cetacean Society Conference. The Research Assistant is expected to work 5 days a week with office hours running from 9AM to 6PM with an hour lunch break although field work regularly falls outside of office hours. The Research Assistant is also entitled to one week’s holiday during the season, the dates of which should be agreed upon at the start of placement if at all possible. Currently we anticipate the internship to go ahead as planned. However, please note that if new restrictions are imposed in 2022, on-site internships may need to be postponed or suspended, although there are various opportunities to take on home based volunteering roles should this occur. The Research Assistant will be responsible for their own travel expenses to New Quay for the 2022 field season. Due to the touristic background of New Quay, part-time paid evening work is generally easy to find if required by the applicant. There are also a number of external organisations that may offer grants to partially cover living expenses. International applications are welcome but it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met and the chosen visa option should be highlighted in the application form. —————————————————————————————————————————————————— To apply: Please send your CV and Research Assistant application form (available on Sea Watch Foundation website), and contact details of two referees, reporting any relevant experience you have, to Katrin Lohrengel- katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk Deadline: 17th January 2022.
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katrin.lohrengel＠seawatchfoundation.org.uk