The team

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  Jared Towers is the Executive Director of Bay Cetology, where he leads innovative efforts to understand and safeguard cetacean populations through integrating long term field studies with technology development. His career spans decades of investigation into behavioral ecology, population dynamics, and cultural evolution, with research contributions on killer, minke, humpback, fin, gray, beaked and sperm whales across the world’s oceans. His work has produced numerous peer‑reviewed scientific publications and continues to inform conservation strategies, particularly for threatened and data‑deficient species. In recognition of his conservation leadership, he was recently awarded a Salish Sea Institute Fellowship.

Tasli joined Bay Cetology in 2017 as a data analyst and research assistant, primarily with the ongoing Bigg's Killer Whale population monitoring program. She also manages a project focused on photo-identification of Humpback Whales in the Salish Sea, and collaborates with similar efforts across the region. Tasli has over 11 years of experience working on the waters of southeastern Vancouver Island as both a captain and wildlife guide. 

Gary joined Bay Cetology in 2016 as a research assistant and data analyst and primarily works on the Bigg’s killer whale monitoring program. He is also part of the Ocean Wise conservation association as a whale research assistant and vessel operator. Their photogrammetry team uses aerial photographs to assess body condition and relative health of northern resident and Bigg’s killer whales. Occasionally, he works as a professional wildlife guide with Ocean Ecoventures based out of Cowichan Bay. 

Danielle is a marine mammologist from South Africa who joined Bay Cetology in 2023 as a photo ID specialist. Her role here includes the processing and management of photo ID data, database administration and assisting with fieldwork and equipment maintenance. Danielle has over 15 years of experience in various roles within the marine mammal field and holds an MSc in Zoology which focused on the abundance and habitat use of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin. Her previous experience includes working as a boat-based whale watching guide and skipper, attending to marine mammal strandings and conducting necropsies, managing and leading research projects at NGO’s in South Africa and Namibia and joining the 78th Overwintering Expedition to remote subantarctic Marion Island to collect data on killer whales and pinnipeds for the Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme.. 

  Chloe is a Ph.D. candidate studying Bigg's killer whale life history and ecotoxicology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her dissertation research, co-supervised by Bay Cetology executive director Jared Towers, examines population vital rates, infant mortality, and endocrine health in the West Coast Transient coastal subset with respect to the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of toxic anthropogenic contaminants. Chloe also works as a research associate for the Seattle-based nonprofit Orca Conservancy and as a freelance artist and scientific illustrator.

  Lisa is a scientific communicator and humpback whale researcher whose work bridges corporate communications and marine science. She brings extensive experience translating complex research for diverse audiences, grounded in years of hands‑on fieldwork studying humpback whale behavior and ecology, particularly the hierarchically structured and evolving nature of whale song. Lisa joins Bay Cetology as Communications Director, where she leads outreach, public engagement, and science‑driven communications in support of research, conservation, and education initiatives focused on whales and the marine environment.

  Cali is Bay Cetology’s resident canine ambassador. When she’s not supervising data collection or ensuring snacks are adequately shared, Cali contributes to morale, focus, and the all‑important ritual of mid‑day fresh‑air breaks. With a keen interest in marine sights and smells, she reminds the team that effective research requires curiosity, balance, and occasional tail‑wagging enthusiasm. Cali takes her role seriously: representing non‑human perspectives and ensuring every field expedition includes at least one good stretch.

Merlin is an X Canadian Coast Guard FRC (Fast Response Craft). She served a short and intense stint aboard the buoy-tender CCGS Provo Wallis before being decommissioned in 2011. Notorious for being launched and retrieved in brutal offshore weather she was outfitted with a rigid lifting cage (instead of straps) and hypalon pontoons reinforced inside with styrofoam so they wouldn’t continually explode on impact with hard surfaces. Neglected and pilfered for many years at the CCG base in Sidney BC, Jared Towers acquired and rebuilt her in 2014 for cetacean response work with DFO and MERS. In 2021 MERS transferred their ownership to Bay Cetology and since then she has safely transported our research teams up and down the central coast of BC and all around Haida Gwaii operating in almost all weather conditions as far as 50 nautical miles offshore.

After completing a MSc in Marine Ecology at the University of Victoria and spending summers doing fieldwork on killer whales at Orcalab off northern Vancouver Island, Paul completed a PhD at CNRS (France) on the interactions between killer whales and fisheries off the Crozet subantarctic islands. While still working on this population, he extended his research to include fisheries interactions with other marine predators in Australia, the Indian Ocean and other subantarctic areas until being appointed as a researcher at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) in 2021. Paul’s work focuses broadly on conflicts between humans and wildlife in oceans. He uses interdisciplinary approaches to assess, understand and mitigate conflicts between fisheries and marine megafauna. In particular, much of his efforts have been dedicated to understanding depredation (species feeding on fishery catches) by sharks and marine mammals and to identify ecologically and socio-economically sustainable ways to reduce this conflict through changes in fishing behavior and fishery management.

Lance’s career has primarily focused on the behavioural ecology and population biology of North Pacific killer whales. He attained a BSc from the University of Guelph and his MSc from the University of British Columbia. His PhD research focused on the role of genetics in the mating systems and population subdivisions of killer whales. Lance has worked as a research scientist for Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Director of the Marine Mammal Program for the Coastal Ocean Research Institute where he helped pioneer the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to unobtrusively assess health and body condition in threatened and endangered killer whale populations. 

Sherry Towers, PhD MS, is a data scientist, modeller, and expert in visual analytics.  From 2012 to 2019 she was affiliated research faculty at the Simon A. Levin Mathematical and Computational Modelling Sciences Center at Arizona State University where she pursued a diverse research programme in the life and social sciences.  In 2019 she was a senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, Germany, and remains an affiliate scholar with the institute.  She is also owner and CEO of her data analytics consulting company, Towers Consulting, LLC.

Alexandra Morton began studying the relationship between the calls and behaviours of A clan northern resident killer whales in 1977.  In 1984, she established a base in the Broughton Archipelago to continue this research year round.   In 2002, she began publishing on the impact of industrial salmon farming on killer whales, Pacific salmon and the spread of sea lice and viruses. Simon Fraser University granted her a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, in 2010 for her research into the impact of salmon farms. She has published six books and is currently returning to studying sound/behaviour correlation in A clan killer whales. 

Bob Pitman spent 45 yrs conducting over 150 cetacean survey cruises for NOAA Fisheries in all oceans of the world. He has authored over 100 papers on marine bird and mammal biology, but has tended to focus on killer whale ecology during the last 20 yrs. Now retired, he is continuing to write papers and wants to see the few remaining cetaceans he hasn’t seen yet. He now lives in Newport, Oregon, with his wife Lisa Ballance who is currently the director of the Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University.

Alex hold B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in computer science from Friedrich-Alexander University, and has specialized in applying machine learning to killer whale research for the past five years. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the same field, he is dedicated to creating accessible machine learning tools for conservation science. His focus involves user-friendly software, collaborations with wildlife organizations, and contributions to open-source projects. With a commitment to ethical considerations, he aims to bridge the gap between technology and wildlife conservation, integrating diverse data sources and knowledge from field experts. Alex emphasizes adaptability and public awareness, advocating for the responsible use of technology in understanding and preserving ecosystems. Actively engaging in conferences and publishing research findings, he seeks to inspire others and foster collaboration between the realms of machine learning and conservation science. He is driven by a vision of making impactful contributions to the intersection of technology and environmental preservation.