Part 1: On becoming a Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitor (PAM) operator

My responses to some frequently asked questions about getting started as an Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitor (PAM)

Okay, so the following blog posts are going to be much wordier than previous posts… but they should, hopefully, be packed with some useful information! Recently, I have received many emails from people interested in either changing careers to become an MMO/PAM operator or are just starting out in the fields of biology or environmental sciences and see this as potentially a great job...which it is! I decided that, to save me writing the same things over and over in emails to multiple people, it would be a good idea to write a post with suggestions about how to get into MMO/PAM work. 

We don't always get to use binos like these!

To be honest, having worked 3 years in this field I still consider myself new and it's a field which is itself still developing! I still learn something new every time I go on a job. I think this is one of the most important things to keep in mind if you want to do this work...be willing to continually learn and grow! Learn from books, your observations, other MMO and PAM operators and seismic crew. Yes, the seismic crew can be very informative or interested about what's going on out there...many of them are themselves avid surfers, divers and travelers who also enjoy the marine environment! 

Some crew can be more fun to work with than others ;)

First of all, as somebody who has been involved in marine mammals since 1996 in eco-tourism, research and now in the offshore oil and gas industry, I would like to say, in my humble opinion, that becoming an MMO requires more than sitting in a 1 or 2 or even 5 day course. To work as an MMO, if you truly want to be an effective MMO, requires experience observing the animals, diplomacy and an ability to work with the crew, an understanding of the seismic (or other) operations and this all takes time, effort and patience. Anybody can sit in a course and get certified as an MMO but to truly become an effective MMO, and do the job well, requires much more. For example, ask the crew how the equipment works...it'll make you a better MMO because you'll understand what they're doing when and why and the crew will appreciate that you're not just there to sit on your butt in the sun and stare at water!

Here are the guys who can help us do our job...important to communicate with them and understand their job too!

So I have written some responses, based on my personal experience, to some of the most frequently asked questions I have received regarding starting out as an MMO/PAM operator...and here it is question 1:

1) What type of background i.e. experience and education, do you need to work offshore as an MMO/PAM operator?

EXPERIENCE OBSERVING MARINE MAMMALS, SEA TURTLES AND SEA BIRDS 

• First and foremost you should have some experience observing marine mammals, sea turtles and even sea birds in the wild. This experience could come from previous work on whale watching vessels or volunteer work with research or conservation organizations. 
• Most of the time, due to distances to sightings, MMOs observe animals through binoculars and correct species identification (or recognizing you can’t identify them to species level!), under these conditions, is an important part of our job. This is especially important in locations where you can request delays or shut downs of the sound source for some species but not others. You wouldn't want to make the mistake of requesting a shut down for a non-shut down species, would you? This would be an expensive mistake to make and you would not be very popular on the vessel if this happened. 

In addition to gaining experience observing marine mammals while working in whale watching or volunteering on a research project you might also be lucky enough to work with people who have decades of experience watching these animals...and these are the guys who can pass on what they know to help you be a better offshore observer!

A DEGREE IN A RELATED FIELD

• It is definitely to your advantage to have at least an undergraduate degree in a related field i.e. biology, marine or environmental sciences. Having a higher level degree, such as a masters or PhD, although not crucial, could be even more advantageous especially when there is a limited job market. The data we collect is fairly basic compared to that collected during marine mammal field research but it is important that you can collect it in the right manner and understand the importance of data collection protocols and good report writing skills. 
• In some locations, i.e. the UK, the data is sent to a central organization and is checked and compiled in a database to be used for further analyses. If this data is not recorded in the right manner it will be rejected for these analyses...a disappointing waste of potentially valuable data.  That being said, a person without a PhD but years of field experience might get priority for a job over somebody with little observation experience but a PhD. 

EXPERIENCE WORKING AND LIVING OFFSHORE 

• while this is not a requirement it would be helpful to approach this job knowing you can handle living offshore in a variety of conditions, on a variety of vessels (some very nice, some not so nice) with crews of mixed nationality and background. You wouldn't want to make the ~2000$ investment in certifications and training only to find out you get deathly seasick or can't stand living in tight quarters for weeks on end, would you? 

Do you get seasick? Keep in mind this is a reality of offshore life...especially on the smaller vessels!

Source

EXPERIENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL 

• Again this is definitely not a requirement but it is helpful to know you can handle multiple days of travel to and from the vessel (It took me 5 days to get to the ship on a job off Mozambique last year!).

• Oh and the fun to be had when flights are delayed or cancelled, flight connections are missed, baggage is lost etc! You need to be able to remain calm in these situations, communicate with the contracting companies to adjust travel plans and do all this when you're very tired and want to go curl up in a corner and sleep!
• Then there’s the jet lag...another important consideration. How comfortable would you be traveling for five days to a fairly remote location, 9 hours ahead of your home time, only to arrive at the vessel, have to hit the back deck to set up the PAM gear, sleep for three hours and then receive a call from the crew that they want to start operations...and get out of bed, despite the jet lag and lack of sleep, and work another 8 hours?

Source

So...those are my reponses to Question 1. For the other experienced MMOs out there I'd love to hear what you might want to add, from your experiences, in response to my personal comments. 

Thanks for reading and I hope this first blog post will answer some of the questions you might have while thinking about becoming an MMO :)

See next post for the following questions:

2) What safety training is required for this work?

3) What training for marine mammal and sea turtle mitigation is required?