The Marecamp Association, based in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea (Catania, South Italy), is seeking candidates for the Summer-Fall monitoring season 2023! Volunteers, Interns, and Expert collaborators will assist with research and outreach activities on cetaceans in Eastern Sicily.
Marecamp is offering 3 different positions from June to December 2023. The employment should cover the 5-months period; however, flexible dates could be taken into account.
Working hours are typically 9 a.m.-1 p.m and 3 p.m.-7 p.m., based on working shifts with the other collaborators of the Association, and including weekends.
Boarding on inflatable boat or sailboat last about 2.5 or 4 hours, departing from the ports of Catania or Aci Castello. The collaborator's duties include assisting with data collection during surveys to observe dolphins and their interaction with the environment and anthropogenic activities, and conduct also photo-ID and bioacoustics sessions. During the participation in dolphin watching ecotours, the role of guide could be assumed (only for small groups, respecting the High Quality Whale Watching standards). The main sighted species in the area are striped dolphins, bottlenose dolphin, and common dolphin, followed by the less frequent sperm whale and fin whale.
Collaborators will also assist in data loading, and reporting, and participate in outreach activities about cetacean conservation at sea and at the main ports of the Gulf of Catania. Students who intend to write an experimental thesis based on the work carried out in the field with Marecamp are also accepted.
Qualifications: Junior or senior college students and recent graduates are eligible. Applicants should have some research field experience; be computer literate; be comfortable English-speaking to the public (Italian and French are also preferable as a second language); and be proficient in the use of digital cameras. Previous experience in cetacean monitoring is preferred.
Candidates must have excellent physical conditions and a predisposition to teamwork, be able to swim, be able to adapt to life on board, and to welcome guests sociably.
Off-site candidates could benefit of free accommodation on a sailing boat at the port of Catania. Food, transport, and other expenses not mentioned here are not included. Volunteers and interns could receive a reimbursement for expenses. For experts, a seasonal contract of a value appropriate to the degree of experience is foreseen.
Interested applicants should write to the Marecamp Secretariat (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) writing in the object “Collaborator DWC 2023 [your name and surname]” and attaching:
- Cover letter including the dates of availability
- Complete CV
This call is published in the framework of the “Dolphin watching and Conservation in the Gulf of Catania” Programme.
