CONFERENCES
FEBRUARY 1, 2020: WORLD ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE DAY, CITÉ DES SCIENCES ET DE L'INDUSTRIE, PARIS AT 6PM
WHALE SONGS, LECTURE AND CONCERT BY PIERRE LAVAGNE DE CASTELLAN
Research Director at Shelltone Whale Project, Pierre Lavagne de Castellan spoke about whale song: why do whales sing, what are the hypotheses, is it possible for man to communicate with whales, and what is the current state of research? In the second part, he played the Shelltone, the instrument he developed with the Ecole Centrale de Nantes and Stanford University in California, to communicate with humpback whales. He plays to the accompaniment of whale songs that he himself recorded during his research into inter-species communication. This unique creation will reproduce the exchange that exists today between man and cetaceans through music.
Co-organized with the support of the Cité des Sciences et de l'industrie.
LECTURES ABOARD THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY SHIP OCEAN STAR
The university ship Ocean Star regularly moors in Deshaies, and the Seamester organization organizes a lecture on Shelltone Whale Project's research for American marine biology students, given by Pierre Lavagne de Castellan.
AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT BETWEEN SHELLTONE WHALE PROJECT AND AGENCE DES AIRES MARINES PROTÉGÉES FOR THE PROVISION OF GEOREFERENCED DATA
Over the past few years, the Agoa sanctuary has collected a wealth of data on cetaceans through at-sea campaigns, acoustic beacons, and partnerships with associations and private groups. This information, stored and analyzed at the marine protected areas center, provides a better understanding of marine mammal feeding, resting and socialization zones, particularly on the leeward coast of Guadeloupe, where the Shelltone Whale Project operates.
The mission of the Agoa sanctuary, located in the French West Indies, is to protect marine mammals and their habitats from the impact of human activities. It aims to limit negative interactions, reduce pollution, raise public awareness and promote harmonious cohabitation between humans and animals. To reinforce these efforts, the Agency is calling on Shelltone Whale Project to contribute its data and expertise as part of a master's internship starting in January.
PUBLICATION
Animals are much more intelligent than we ever thought... Discoveries are regularly being made that shed light on their sensitivity, their capacity for emotion, their generosity, their solidarity and, dare we say it, their wisdom.
Seven brilliant minds with exceptional backgrounds take us into the fascinating world of animal intelligence. Thanks to them, you'll discover the incredible powers of whale song, which boosts the protein content of plankton; you'll see, with bonobos, that laughter is not unique to man. You'll understand that team management can be inspired by schools of fish. You'll see that ants invented agriculture long before man...
These examples, and many others, show us that the supremacy of man over animals is a pure fiction and that, better still, animals are perhaps humanity's lifeline, thanks to their capacity for survival and adaptation.
Let's reinvent our relationship with animals - our survival depends on it!
THEY TALKED ABOUT US
HEATHER HARDING'S TESTIMONY
MARINE BIOLOGIST, MAUI, HAWAII
«Hello Pierre,
Your legacy lives on here in Maui. At the last Whaledreamer meeting I had the Shelltone you gave me and I told your story. People who hadn't heard of it were fascinated and inspired.
I don't know if you realize how inspiring this is for people.
The act of creating something, putting your heart, soul and passion into it without expecting anything in return, is in itself a powerful act.
The whales seem to encourage this kind of attitude on our part.
We may not know why we do what we do, but we can believe there's a reason. It's so important that we do things like this more and more, to help balance and heal this world that's sick with the acts perpetrated by people driven by greed and selfishness, in that your example is valuable.
I love the Shelltone you gave me. Thank you so much, I cherish it and with it I tell your story to all the people I meet on my whale watching trips, to the students in my classes and at Whaledreamers meetings.
I hope you know how much your project means to so many people.»
Heather Harding. Marine biologist. Maui - Hawaii - USA
