Beneath the surface, with Élizabeth Melis

With regard to disentanglements, our Campobello-based team covers all of Eastern Canada, with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are authorized by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to carry out this work, which requires rigorous training. I only started in April 2025, so I won’t be the one cutting ropes just yet! There is a natural progression for crew members. We’re on call year-round, though our busiest period is the summer.

On the research side, through the Canadian Whale Institute, we conduct scientific monitoring, which is primarily focused on the North Atlantic right whale. During the summer months, we head to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Shediac Valley for this work, which lasts about eight weeks. In the fall, we also carry out monitoring in the Bay of Fundy; that requires a bit more effort, as it involves conducting censuses of all marine mammals. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

There’s no such thing as a “typical” day!

Even if we’re not getting any calls, we still try to get out on the boat a few times a week to keep our skills sharp, whether it’s operating the boat, throwing the grappling hook, cutting ropes with specialized knives, or attaching satellite buoys. We also practise flying our drones. In winter, we write reports and plan for the year ahead. Our scientific work involves data entry and processing. We also participate in a lot of professional trade shows and conduct outreach activities with the general public, fishers, and Indigenous communities, with a specific focus on the North Atlantic right whale.

When we first arrive at a given site, we launch a drone to try and visualize the entanglement—how many ropes there are and their general configuration, and whether there appear to be any weights attached. This helps us better prepare our approach. We always try to work from the front of the whale toward the back. During an intervention, it’s important to maintain the element of surprise. Usually, we manage to do this the first two times we approach; after that, the whales start to catch on and start avoiding us! Because our knives are attached to a pole, our reach is somewhat limited, meaning we have to get quite close to the animal. These operations can last several hours, or even days or weeks, depending on the weather, whether we can actually locate the whale, and the availability of our crew members. It’s very complex!

Initiative. You can’t just wait to be told what to do or to be assigned a task. You need to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Since we work on the boat as a team—often in unusual, high-pressure situations—you have to keep your eyes open at all times. Ideally, you shouldn’t be prone to seasickness! There’s also a great deal of collaboration, both in and over the water and on board the boat. You need to be able to communicate clearly and concisely. You also need a strong support network, because the days can be unpredictable. This isn’t a job you can do alone.