Mark was fortunate to experience living in
various countries around the globe during
his early years. A common thread in his life
has always been water. At one time a
competitive swimmer and water polo player,
Mark now spends much of his time in
saltwater as an avid scuba diver, free
diver, kayaker, and mariner. His chosen
career working in wildlife biology and
marine research is an extension of his
passion for the natural world and his marvel
of the ocean environment. Mark obtained his
biology degree from the University of
Waterloo in Canada where he began pursuing
his interest in wildlife biology. After
working with several avian and reptile
species, his interests rapidly returned to
the ocean and towards marine mammals, which
eventually led him to Hawaii in 1996. At
the University of Hawaii, he completed his
master’s degree in Animal Behavior and is
currently completing his Ph.D. work focusing
on humpback whale communication. Over the
past decade in Hawaii, Mark has worked
alongside top researchers in the world
gaining familiarity with over 20 species of
marine mammals ranging from elusive beaked
whales to fearless false killer whales. As
a result of his participation in these
various projects, Mark has developed
invaluable research skills. Some of these
include: satellite and suction cup tag
deployment, aerial surveying,
photo-identification, biopsy collection,
acoustic monitoring, theodolite tracking,
underwater videogrammetry, and behavioral
data collection. Mark was the project field
coordinator for the University of Hawaii’s
Humpback Whale Research Program for seven
consecutive years. His experiences have
taught him the necessity of understanding
our environment in efforts to better protect
it from ecological or man-made threats.
In
2004, Mark founded The Hawaii Association
for Marine Education and Research (HAMER), a
not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation with
the mission of better understanding and
protecting Hawaii’s marine resources.
Current work is targeting the health and
status of Hawaii’s marine mammal
populations, primarily the endangered
humpback whales. Additionally, a population
assessment is also being carried out on
local manta ray populations around Maui; the
first of its kind. Mark devotes his time pursuing the mission of HAMER,
giving talks to the general public, and
contributing his expertise as a marine
mammal observer on marine mammal survey
cruises.
