MCSS Whale Shark Internship

The Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles (MCSS) is a local Non-Governmental Organisation that was registered in 1997. MCSS was formed by a group of local marine experts to meet the lack of capacity in Seychelles and to address matters of marine biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. MCSS remains to this day, the only Seychelles based Non-Governmental Organisation dedicated exclusively to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity. The MCSS have been monitoring whale sharks around Seychelles since the pilot project in November 1996. The programme has grown steadily both in terms of scope and size and is now one of the most comprehensive whale shark research programmes globally.

This internship programme is aimed at providing a competent team who will be able to develop the maximum amount of data from the Seychelles monitoring programme which in turn will be fed into the cooperative regional and global conservation initiatives that this programme supports. The core whale shark internship programme will last for 8 weeks from Monday 25th August to Sunday 19th October. Additionally, there will be an additional two ‘Bonus’ weeks (optional) from October 20th to November 2nd that will be run if there are still whale sharks around at this time. The first week will be an orientation and training week, week two will be getting some practice whale shark trips and helping the pilots set up the micro-light aircraft, and as of week three the full monitoring activities will be implemented. The six interns will work as two teams, one for each monitoring boat, and each team will be supervised by a team leader who in turn will work under the project leader. Duty days will be on a roster allowing one full day off every week.

The interns’ training and duties will cover the full range of activities associated with the MCSS whale shark monitoring programme including:

• The Seychelles whale shark programme:- findings, achievements, why it exists
• Basic whale shark information and biology
• Whale shark data collection:- filling out forms, writing up data, the systems and spreadsheets
• Photo identification:- sorting and filing images, pre-process preparation, I3S matching software
• Snorkel training and water skills development for whale shark activities (subject to qualifications)
• Communications training:- between micro-light and boat and between boats
• Boat operations:- logistics, protocols and safety
• Micro-light aerial survey support and data handling, GIS software use
• Environmental monitoring equipment use, data capture and handling
• Study area orientation and geography

The only specific requirements for all applicants are that they must be able to swim and be confident in the water, be physically fit and be prepared to work hard. Desirable qualifications/skills include a university degree in a biological subject, and/or good practical skills, preferably over 21 years of age and language skills, particularly French.

Cost: 2000 Euros

Included: Shared accommodation, training, utilities (water, gas, electricity), limited internet use, all work related travel within Seychelles and two additional weeks (optional) free of charge.

Not included: Food, personal travel within Seychelles and international travel to and from Seychelles.

How to apply: All applications must be made on the internship application form where applicants should provide as much supportive information about themselves as possible. Please visit www.mcss.sc volunteers page for more information and the application form.

Deadline 15th June 2014