Reasonable travel expenses and board and lodging onboard the boat will be provided and a small weekly allowance may also be available. The season may be split between two research assistants if appropriate.

Please email a letter of interest and CV, outlining your previous experience, availability and why you think you should be considered for the post to info@mcr-team.co.uk by the 27th February 2012.

SOTW heads up the River Orwell towards Ipswich.

The survey has been a great success; with the best weather we could have hoped for at this time of year, allowing us to cover the entire proposed set of track lines.  There have also been plenty of sightings including 13 harbour porpoise sightings, several grey seals, a sighting of 3 minke whales and a whole day accompanied by white-beaked dolphins.  Acoustic detections of porpoises from the hydrophone have, however, far exceeded sightings.  Although, the weather has been unexpectedly good for the time of year, the very calm sea states required for optimal porpoise observations were rare, and it is under these conditions that the acoustic survey methodology comes into its own, with a preliminary analysis suggesting, at least 250 detections – approximately 20 times as many acoustic as visual detections.

Throughout the survey kittiwakes were the most prevalent bird sighted, with groups of up to 200 observed.

Now the task of analysing the acoustic dataset in detail will begin, the presence and distribution of harbour porpoises examined and reports and papers written up.  The survey team all go their separate ways tomorrow, back to Scotland, Wales, Germany and the Netherlands, and the R/V Song of the Whale will be readied for forthcoming projects beginning in 2012.

Sightings and detections of harbour porpoises continue intermittently throughout the western survey block, interspersed with several loud mechanical gas rig noises and dolphin whistles.  As we cross to the east of the large block we enter Danish waters, which are crowded with gas platforms, especially along the boundary between Danish and German jurisdiction.  The weather worsens as we reach the north of the eastern block and the observers abandon the A-frame in favour of the slightly more stable deck. Later in the evening the international jet setting team pass into German waters but there is no improvement in the weather. Marine mammal sightings remain few and far between but we spot a small bird of prey thought to be a female juvenile sparrow hawk. What she is doing in the middle of the North Sea, remains a mystery!

The poor weather remains for the next day or so with the occasional sighting of harbour porpoises, however the storms pass on the second evening and we are able to admire the stunning starscape, complete with the Milky Way and lots of shooting stars.  As we finish the south bound transect in Dutch waters and start to make our way back up the reciprocal route, blue skies and light winds return. It is hard to believe it is November in the North Sea. Unfortunately, even with the excellent observation conditions, our sighting rate does not increase and the whole Eastern transect of the large Dogger Bank block has fewer sightings of marine mammals than the west.

Tessa, Danielle, Susannah and Katrin on the foredeck.

Surprisingly, for November, and the North Sea, the survey has been relatively calm with only one day of rough weather when visual observations were not possible from the A-frame so far. This is when the acoustic side of the survey becomes especially important, with clear detections of harbour porpoises even during rough sea states. Additionally, the acoustic monitoring has allowed further understanding of the background noise levels experienced by marine mammals in the North Sea, as seismic survey noise has been heard for long periods over several days during our survey to date.

Computer screen grab of Harbour porpoise clicks: Showing HP clicks detected during the Dogger Bank survey. The red triangles show each click and a clear bearing can be seen as the porpoise passes.

At the moment we are heading back down south to start our larger survey block which will cover the whole Dogger Bank area, from the east coast of England into Danish, Dutch and German waters. The weather looks promising for the next few days, and as we were treated to a beautiful winter red sunset tonight, we hope it will be “sailor’s delight” with many sightings to come tomorrow.

Saving fuel and making the best of light winds.

The area is a candidate marine protected area (EU Natura 2000 site) and further research effort is required to establish current trends in porpoise distribution in offshore waters of the North Sea and provide baseline data for mitigating activities that have the potential to disturb their natural behaviour and distribution (including fisheries and offshore renewable developments). As well as being a candidate special area of conservation in UK waters, the Dogger Bank is the potential site for a 9,000km square offshore wind farm.

A further aim of the project, for which funding from ASCOBANS is being given, is to provide an opportunity for individuals from across Europe to participate in a combined acoustic and visual survey. The project demonstrates close cooperation amongst governmental and non-governmental organisations working in partnership to improve knowledge and conservation of harbour porpoises within waters of the ASCOBANS agreement.

7th November – the project begins!
During preparations for beginning the project there is lots of media interest and regional news teams from BBC and Anglia visit Song of the Whale in Ipswich, and members of the team are interviewed on several radio programmes. The following is a link to the BBC’s web site, with a short news piece and video

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-15620472

During Sunday and Monday the various members of the team arrive on Song of the Whale; supplies are brought onboard and stowed, and the Song of the Whale team is ready for the winter 2011 Dogger Bank survey. There are 11 onboard for this first leg of the project, seven staff members including: Richard (skipper), Jim (relief skipper), Brian (1st Mate / Engineer), Jack (deckhand), Olly (senior scientist), Anna (research assistant) and Susannah (field assistant), and four visiting researchers from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands: Danielle and Katrin from Seawatch Foundation, and Tessa and Lisette, interns from IMARES.

Early on Tuesday SOTW heads north from the mouth of the river Orwell towards the first small survey block; visual and acoustic observations begin and before long we have our first harbour porpoise sighting, followed by several grey seals; this feels like a good omen for the survey ahead. In the next 20 or so days, we hope to cover three survey blocks, two small blocks which cover the waters south of the Dogger Bank and the UK portion of the Bank itself, and then one larger block covering the whole Dogger Bank, including the UK, Danish, Dutch and German sections as well as the surrounding waters. We reach the start of our first transect line early on Wednesday morning and pass the Sheringham Shoals windfarm as the sun rises.

Song of the Whale has returned to her berth in Ipswich for maintenance following a busy few months of work in the Channel in May and June and Scotland during July and August. The team are now preparing for a winter survey of the Dogger Bank, Southern North Sea, in collaboration with partners from the Netherlands and Germany.

There is a sea view when travelling from Eigg to Mallaig where you have a 360° vision of the Small Isles, Skye, the mountains of Scotland, Mull and, far into the distance, the Outer Hebrides. At 6 am yesterday on the Song of the Whale the grey of the sea bled into the numerous blues of the mountains all dramatised by the unique Scottish light, a panorama so glorious it is forever etched onto my retina for instant recall. Eigg was a brilliant last night of 28 days of journeying, a feast of barbecued fish, wine, song and delicious whisky all shared on board the ‘Song of the Whale’ with islanders, scientists and artists. A great night of very little sleep.

On this year’s Cape Farewell 2011 Scottish Islands expedition Ruth Little had led the team heading out from Oban, meeting islanders, encountering basking sharks, sailing and sharing future visions. For each of the four weeks a new crew embarked and I first shared with Ruth the third ‘Gaelic’ week to far away St Kilda before leading the final week. Leaving Lewis to port we headed north to Rona for two days before night sailing on a glorious 30 mph northerly wind back to Harris, the Shiants, Skye and finally Eigg.

Skye passed abeam while sailing back to Eigg

This was a new departure for Cape Farewell, not just to understand the realities of Climate but to see how solutions have been crafted among the islanders and understand the challenges of achieving a low carbon existence. Practical examples on Eigg and elegant solutions offered by the architectural practice of Mary Arnold-Forster show that this is not only doable but also desirable. All is not milk and honey, there is resistance and fear of change but what these islands have offered us is a focused lens on what is possible uncluttered by the complexity of our dense urban lives. That and the sheer pleasure of the wild, the marine, the teaming birdlife and sea animals.

Our onboard scientists probed the seas for temperature and salinity changes and ornithologists counted and observed the influx of new species; a lack of sand worms and changing sea temperatures indicating the effects of climate change here. The weather systems are becoming more pronounced and thankfully we avoided the storms of May and June and instead basked in hot sunshine and often windless days. It was also the first time we have sailed on the Song of the Whale and having such a brilliant safe and scientifically equipped vessel enabled us to fulfil all our ambitions, sailing between Islands reaching as far north as North Rona.

Some personal highlights: Julie Fowlis singing to seals in sea caverns; Ian Stephen’s stories told and retold often hanging from rock faces and his beautiful exhibition at the Taigh Chearsabhagh art centre on Uist run by Andy Mackinnon; Mary Smith’s historical knowledge of all things Gaelic; visiting Arne Vögler from the University of the Highlands and Islands in Stornaway; collecting Iain Finlay Macleod via zodiac and taking him to visit North Rona for the first time – and on his birthday; visiting the island home of Frank which Mary had so beautifully designed; night sailing and introducing the wild sea night to our onboard artists; taking Jo Shapcott to sea and the endless glow on her face as she relished life on the ocean waves; having the people of Eigg onboard for our last night barbecue; having Maggie tell the crazy and wonderful history of the Eigg buy-out: swapping endless stories; swimming in 12 degree water and the mile long swims of scientist Emily Venables; the scientists struggling to collect data and explain to us the intricacies of their knowledge.  And mostly the exchange of each others worlds, how we work as artists, writers, musicians, how we can re-position our activity and art to engage, how the science feeds us and how the lives of those we met along the way added such a rich vane of what is possible.

Julie Fowlis playing on St Kilda

This expedition has been two years in the planning and both Ruth and I and the whole Cape Farewell team had hopes and expectations. Briefly conferring last night with Ruth, the success of this venture has exceeded our aspirations almost on a logarithmic scale. Plans are already in place and new schemes being hatched to bring what we have seen and what we have learnt and the ambition to do what is needed towards visioning a shift towards a safer and more just and sustainable cultural future. In many ways the work has only just begun as it takes time to create, converse and bring art to new audiences, worldwide. It has reinforced for me the mantra that climate is indeed a cultural challenge.

It is also the beginning of a four-year program of activity in Scotland; we are now underway and want to continue building on brilliant new friendships and opportunities.  All of us have worked to make this possible, the generosity of everyone we have met on the islands to share stories, food, song and knowledge, the creators and scientists who have joined us and applied effort and time, the brilliant crew of Song of the Whale, Richard, Jim, Matt and Jo who have kept us safe and joined in our curiosity and the Cape Farewell team, Natasha, Nina, Vicky, Lisa, Tawia, Kathy, Gorm and Siôn. Plus many others and more along the way. Thank you all.

Song of the Whale surrounded by Puffins in the Shiants