Whale Tales from the South Pacific

World-renowned ocean conservationist Nan Daeschler Hauser will present a lecture entitled South Pacific Whale Tales: A Perspective of Whales, Then and Now  Wednesday, July 5 at 6 pm in the Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street.

Hauser will highlight a variety of topics, including the history of South Pacific whaling across Oceania, the similarities between Nantucket and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, why whales are important to the health of the ocean, and more.

“Having the chance to speak with the Nantucket community about whales and whale conservation is an exciting opportunity for me,” says Hauser. “As a New Englander with roots stretching back to some of the “Petticoat” whalers, it is a unique honor to be able to add my stories to the Nantucket whale narrative. I hope to share my knowledge, passion, and science of these amazing creatures, and inspire others to feel the same way.”

Nan Daeschler Hauser has been the President and Director of the Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation (CCRC) since 1991. Her home base is in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, where she is the Principal Investigator for the Cook Islands Whale Research Project and Director of the Cook Islands Whale & Wildlife Centre, which she built in 2000. The Cook Islands have led the way in whale conservation by claiming a 2 million square kilometer whale sanctuary in the islands’ exclusive economic zone—an achievement in which Hauser played a key role.

For almost a decade she was involved with the Ocean Alliance’s cetacean research expeditions aboard the R/V Odyssey. As Founder and Director of the New England Dolphin Outreach Project she has taught on a global level for the Dolphin Research Center, Whale Conservation Institute, and many other non-profit organizations. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Ajubatus Foundation in South Africa, Te Ara Cook Islands Museum of Cultural Enterprise, and Cet Law in the U.S.

Hauser is also a “Woman in Science” at the Smithsonian Institute. Her other field research includes a study site in the Bahamas investigating beaked whales, dolphins, and other cetaceans. Hauser and her team captured the first ever, underwater footage of a rare beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris. Hauser’s research has been featured in numerous documentaries that have appeared on National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Smithsonian Channel, ARTE, Munwha Broadcasting, and BBC. She is currently involved in two films, a television documentary, a National Geographic article, and is writing a book while continuing her research. She has authored and co-authored over fifty scientific publications. Currently, Hauser is affiliated with Auckland University, New Zealand where she is an adjunct professor. She is also a registered nurse teaching and practicing medicine on Rarotonga and the outer islands.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Nan Daeschler Hauser to the Whaling Museum for this special evening lecture,” says Brianne Roth, NHA Public Programs Coordinator. “Her experiences and stories of researching endangered whales will provide unique insights into remote parts of the globe as well as these majestic animals.”

Admission for this program is $10 for the lecture, and $50 for the lecture and a short reception afterwards. Reservations are strongly recommended at nha.org/tickets. Doors open at 5:30 pm, with the program beginning promptly at 6 pm.