Each year, MARS staff and volunteers respond to approximately 400-500 incidents involving distressed and deceased marine animals across the Maritime Provinces. While we collaborate with various organizations, our success is primarily due to the dedication and hard work of our volunteers.
The number of incident reports we receive grows annually, partly due to increased awareness and reporting to our hotline, and partly because of changes in species distribution and the frequency of incidents.
We need volunteers throughout each region of the Maritimes, because having volunteers in close proximity to incidents allows for faster response times, which increases the amount and quality of data which we can collect. Our volunteers allow us to respond to more incidents, which increases our ability to help our marine animals while also strengthening our voice when we collaborate with other organizations for conservation.
This map represents baleen whale incidents reported over 15 years in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (525 incidents). This constitutes only about 1/3 of reported cetacean incidents, and it does not include incidents from any other marine animal (seals, sharks, turtles etc.). You can imagine how much busier this map would look if it reflected all of the calls that we receive!
MARS is dedicated to marine animal conservation through response, research and engagement.
Our volunteers like working with us because it gives them opportunities to help and protect wildlife while making a real difference and increasing their understanding of our oceans.
If you are interested in joining our MARS team as a volunteer, please fill out the application form on this page or email us at volunteer@marineanimals.ca.
The graphic below outlines what to expect during the volunteer intake process.
Join MARS and help us protect the ocean and the species that call it home. Together, we can make a meaningful impact on marine animal conservation.
We look forward to welcoming you to the MARS team!
