Marine Wildlife Internships
New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance - NECWA offers marine wildlife internships with local colleges and universities in southeastern Massachusetts. Internships programs provide research opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students who are 
interested in the field of marine biology. Hands-on experience with field research techniques and data analysis better prepares students for similar opportunities in their chosen field. Currently,
NECWA is providing educational research opportunities for undergraduate Biology students at
Bridgewater State College - BSC and Cape Cod Community College. In the future, NECWA hopes to increase the number of internships by providing paid internships for biology students through private donations to NECWA and through the Adrian Tinsley Undergraduate Research Program offered through Bridgewater State College.
Currently NECWA is focusing on 2 main projects:
- NEBShark - New England Basking Shark Project
- Project Marine Wildlife Research
- The Humpback Research Project
- The Finback Research Project
For both research projects, data are collected each season by project participants
aboard Captain John Boats operating in the waters of Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay. Biology interns from BSC and participating naturalists are responsible for collecting sighting and photographic data while offshore. BSC interns help manage the databases and assist in the creation of a photo-ID catalog of known individual 
finback whales, humpback whales and basking sharks sighted offshore. The projects’ databases are housed at BSC and managed by BSC faculty and students as well as by members of NECWA.
Interns working with NECWA assist with data collection and management as well as analysis techniques that include photo-identification and Geographic Information Systems - G.I.S.
mapping. They are asked to create and deliver poster and oral presentations to local government and non-government organizations as well as present their findings at local workshops and conferences.
BSC biology undergraduates are also required to present a project status report that summarizes their educational experience at the annual Undergraduate Environmental Research conference held at Bridgewater State College.
Interns also assist
with necropsies which are animal versions of autopsies. Marine wildlife that has died and washed ashore is a sad event, but these carcasses can provide a great deal of information on the species regarding their health status, reproductive status as well as the individual’s cause of death.
Necropsies on whales, sharks and other large marine
animals is typically conducted on site which is usually the beach where the animal stranded. Necropsies on smaller animals like dolphins, porpoises and seals can be done at indoor facilities at research institutions like Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and at facilities associated with area stranding centers. Information collected from external examinations and necropsies provide important information that scientists and managers can use to better protect and conserve wild populations of marine wildlife that are found in the water’s of the Gulf of Maine.
NECWA is also asking for donations from community businesses that are interested in providing long-term support to student interns through a monthly giving program or via a one-time donation.
If you would like to help support NECWA’s internship program, please make your tax-deductible donation today.
Please send a check or money order to:
- NECWA - New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance
- 11 Clarence Soule Drive
- Middleboro, MA 02346
Or use our new online donation service.
Please click the button below.
