Lance Barrett-Lennard

Lance Barrett-Lennard is a Canadian biologist specializing in the behavioural ecology and population biology of Killer whales. A molecular geneticist, Barrett-Lennard uses DNA analysis to study the dispersal, mating habits, and group structure of killer whale sub-populations in the Pacific Northwest. He is best known for his research concerning the conservation of the Southern Resident killer whale sub-population. As of 2022, he is a Senior Scientist in the Cetacean Conservation Research Program at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Education Lance Barrett-Lennard attained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Guelph in Ontario (1976-1980), and went on to complete a Master of Science in Biology at the University of British Columbia (1992). Barrett-Lennard also gained his doctorate at the University of British Columbia where he studied the role of genetics in the mating systems and population subdivisions of killer whales. Career Following the completion of his Ph.D., Barrett-Lennard took a research scientist position with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (formerly DFO) at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he continued studying the role of genetics in the population structure of killer whale sub-populations. In 2001, he accepted a position as Director of the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Vancouver Aquarium. Research One of many research units at the Vancouver Aquarium, the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) conducts research on Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, Harbour Porpoises, Beluga Whales, Sea Otters, and a host of other marine mammals. A major branch of the MMRP is The B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network, a whale sightings report system that relies heavily on Citizen science. The B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network facilitates the reporting of whale sightings through the WhaleReport mobile app. Details on whale locations are then used by the WhaleReport Alert System to notify nearby vessels of cetaceans in their vicinity and to encourage them to take precautionary or evasive action. Data from the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network is also used to encourage the practice of land-based whale watching. In 2015, the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network partnered with the Whale Trail, a Seattle-based organization dedicated on identifying potential land-based whale watching sites in the Pacific Northwest. Land-based whale watching is viewed as a zero-impact alternative to traditional boat-based whale watching.