The work of Seal Center head of biology research, Sandra Granquist, and Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir is being covered in an article in Conservation Magazine. Sandra and Hrefna have been researching the effect of land based tourism on seals.
Seal Counting from air
Seal Center specialists are now working on counting harborur seals from air. The goal of the project is to evaluate 3 diffferent methods of counting from air, by an airplane, a drone and from a helecopter. The methods will be compared.
The last count from air was done all around Iceland in 2011. This year we did not receive funding to count all over the country. The colonies that are being counted this year are: Akraós, Löngufjörur, Heggstaðanes, Hvammsfjörður, Vatnsnes, Strandir, Ísafjarðardjúp, Rauðisandur, Arnarfjörður og Suðurland.
Project manager is Sandra Granquist, co project manager is Erlingur Hauksson.
Tryggvi Stefánsson specialist at Svarmi with the drone that is being used for counting the harbour seals.
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Project managers Erlingur Hauksson and Sandra Granquist
Seal colony by air
Master Student at the Seal Center
Specialists at the Seal Center ofthen get requests to supervise studends working on their thesises. Currently Sarah Marschall a master student at the University Center of the Westfjords is working on her master thesis under the supervision of both Sandra Granquist our head of biology department and Dr. Leah Burns our head of tourism reasearch department. Sarah is working on a project on how to best get information to tourists regarding how to behave around wild animals to minimize negative effects.
Sarah Marschall (left) wit Valerie volunteer at the Seal Center. Valerie assists Sarah doing field work in august.
Volunteers at the Seal Center this summer
Two volunteers have been assisting Sandra Granquist head of our biology department this summer. One a fully licensed veterinarian from Germany, the other a veterinarian student from France. They have mainly been doing work at our laboratory, preparing samples etc. Being able to get volunteers to assist at the Seal Center is very important for the operation of the Center and we thank them for their help this summer.
Valerie Scoll veterinarian student from France working
at the Seal Center lab.
North west bird Trail
For the past few weeks the Seal Center has been the project manager of making a birding trail in the North west on behalf of Ferðamálasamtaök Norðurlands vestra. Ellen Magnúsdóttir biologist was hired to monitor possible sites and her job is now coming to an end. Following her research of the sites a map will be made with information on species at each location as well as a webpage for the project.
Ellen Magnúsdóttir
Project sponsor:
