Entrepreneurship in the territories: is it the right time?
For the past thirty years, the Atlantic Whale & Dolphin Foundation (AWdF) has been monitoring cetacean populations off the southwest coast of Tenerife. Our core database predominantly focuses on the resident Short-finned Pilot Whale and Bottlenose Dolphin populations, through photo identification methodology, along with recording behavioural parameters laid down by the Tethys Institute for non-invasive cetacean research.
The 24 migratory cetacean species that travel through Tenerife are also recorded. This internship offers an amazing opportunity to work with this vast dataset and create your own stamp on AWdF research, as well as gaining valuable field experience on an almost daily basis. This form of experiential learning centres around intimate interactions with these amazing creatures and the impact we have on them.
Successful applicants will be an integral part of our research team, involved in all the research areas and platforms listed below, as well as focusing on a specific project agreed by the AWdF, intern and the supervisor.
There are 4 key research areas:
- Cetacean population dynamics
- Cetacean spatial ecology
- Cetacean behaviour
- Plastic research
With several research platforms:
- Land based station - monitoring cetacean behaviour with and without boats present.
- RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) - incorporating passive acoustic monitoring, recording cetacean behaviour and photo identification.
- Whale watching boats - centred around photo identification, recording cetacean behaviour, and raising public awareness amongst tourists.
- Land and sea based plastic monitoring - identifying types and amounts of plastic in relation to geographical positioning and levels of touristic development.
