News

La Gomera, October 2017. This week, for the first time ever, the large catamaran high-speed ferry came to Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera to start operating on a regular basis. While we acknowledge the advantages this might have for the local people, we worry about the cetaceans that live in one of the cetacean species richest areas in Europe, because it has been well established that high speed ferries pose a serious threat to various whale species… see https://m-e-e-r.de/science/collisions/problemgebiet/?lang=en      

Middelfart/Berlin, April 2017. The 5. Workshop on the topic “Communicating Marine Mammal Science to the General Public”, organized by the 2. chairman of MEER Volker Smit, was again a great success. This year the focus was on “Marketing” and Silke Carstens – experienced Consultant from the market sector – presented the topic “Marketing” to the community of scientists together with Volker Smit. In the future this topic should be a permanent part of the workshop, which is to be continued next year. Overall the tenor from the workshop as well as from the ECS conference, which took place right afterwards,... Continue Reading

Berlin, March 2017. We proudly announce that M.E.E.R. e.V. offers its 5th workshop in a row on the annual conference of the European Cetacean Society (ECS). It is a full-day educational workshop „Communicating marine mammal science to the general public“, bringing together enthusiastic people in the field of marine mammals and education. It is organised by Volker Smit (M.E.E.R. e.V., Germany) and his colleague Dr. Luigi Bundone (Archipelagos ambiente e sviluppo, Italy). The workshop is open to all, especially suitable for researchers, educators, science teachers, students and the media. This year, we will focus on protocols related to objectives and... Continue Reading

Berlin/La Gomera, December 2016. Currently, we are working on the setup of a station for land-based observations of cetaceans. In November 2016, we conducted successful test runs, land-based observations were documented. By guiding the whale watching boats from aboveaccording to aur land-based observations we were able to contribute to a sustainable whale watching management. Recently, IFAW  (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and the Beatrice-Nolte-Stiftung assured  M.E.E.R. e.V. financial support. We are very grateful for that – now the project can start! In December 2016, the construction of the shelter began and we ordered professional optic equipment. First systematic data collection... Continue Reading

La Gomera, June 2016. Those students who exceeded expectations by improved performances in the past semester were invited to a very special whale watching trip on June 16, at 9 a.m. The kids from the Valle Gran Rey at the age of 14 to 15 years and their accompanying teacher had the opportunity to discover the large number of cetaceans off the coast of their hometown. Biologist Volker Boehlke started by introducing the most common species and explaining their habitat.  

Berlin/Madeira, March 2016. For the 3rd time in a row M.E.E.R. e.V. is the main organizer of an educational workshop at the annual conference of the European Cetacean Society (ECS). This year, the conference takes place on Madeira with a focus on the deep sea. The full day workshop “4th workshop on communicating marine mammal science to the general public” takes place in the Madeira Whale Museum on March 13th. It includes a presentation of the Madeira Whale Museum and a guided tour. The workshop is open for everybody interested in marine mammals’ protection, focusing on education. Therefore, it is... Continue Reading

La Gomera, February 2016. Our active member Josy Amey represented M.E.E.R. e.V. at the CETS meeting (CARTA EUROPEA DE TURISMO SOSTENIBLE) that was held in Agulo, La Gomera, at the beginning of February. Activities were presented that promoted eco-tourism and led at the same time to benefits of locals. In addition, there was a presentation and evaluation of companies, which sustainably work in tourism and are part of CETS, including our long-standing cooperation partner OCEANO. Furthermore, future demands and problems as well as possible sustainable solutions were collected and discussed. It was important for M.E.E.R. e.V. to be present at... Continue Reading

La Gomera, Oktober 2015. On the 7th and 8th of October, 200 pre-schoolers and primary school children of the local school in Borbalán, La Gomera, took part in a very special excursion within their ‘ocean weeks’: For two days, with the support of M.E.E.R., the pupils aged three to twelve had the chance to learn more about the sea and its inhabitants. Coordinated by our biology teacher and M.E.E.R.-biologist Volker Smit, the children were introduced to the life of whales and dolphins in the rooms of our permanent exhibition located close to the harbour. Additionally, marine biologist Volker Boehlke explored... Continue Reading