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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all our financial sponsors, especially the Isle of Man Government's Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture and the Department of Tourism and Leisure. Tower Insurance of Douglas, The Gough Ritchie Foundation, Drummond Enterprises, Global Ocean, Ken Watterson, Gillian Ivens and Dr David Sims have all contributed substantial sums towards boat and equipment costs. As MBSW is manned by volunteers (with the exception of Eleanor Stone of the Manx Wildlife Trust) we have been able to make your funding go a very long way indeed.
Special thanks must go to Pauline Oliver, a keen Manx basking shark watch ambassador and to Dr Jean-Luc Solandt of the Marine Conservation Society, UK. In 2004 they were the prime movers who initiated the revival of basking shark research in the Isle of Man in the form of Manx Basking Shark Watch. All our MBSW public sightings data is shared with the MCS and is incorporated into the British MCS Basking Shark Watch results thanks to Jean-Luc.
Many thanks go to the members of the public who sent their basking shark sighting reports to MBSW. We wouldn't get far without you. Nearly 500 individuals have contributed to this information. Please keep it up!
Paul Steer, the software engineer from Delta IT Services set up the website software and an automatic, online reporting scheme. His efforts have transformed the website and reporting scheme so IT WORKS, thankyou so much.
This project could not work without the staff and
volunteers of the Manx Wildlife Trust, especially the Basking
Shark Steering Group, and those who have manned the website and
assisted in fundraising and publicity. Dr Richard Hartnoll, Graham Hall, Dr Fiona Gell, myself (Jackie Hall) and Duncan Bridges and Eleanor Stone of the Manx Wildlife Trust have kept the activities of MBSW under control when in the words of Dr Hartnoll "It was growing like topsy". We were delighted when Eleanor Stone joined us in the full time role of Marine Officer at the MWT. She has made a huge difference to the everyday running and professionalism of MBSW. Her analysis of the huge public sightings database made it all seem so easy (it wasn't). She and Tom Felce of The Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch mapped and graphed the results so that they made sense to the eye. Eleanor has taken on the massive task of analysing all the basking shark dorsal fin identification pictures by eye. I am sure that she will be very happy if it is ever computerised!
One of Eleanor's biggest contributions to Marine Research work on the Isle of Man has been organising 'The Dolphineers" She and Tom organised this marvellous group of volunteers for the whole summer season of 2010. The 2010 Dolphineers were Clare Preeble, Hannah Keogh, Angharad Davies, Niki Clear, Kerry Froud and Donal Griffin. They volunteered all summer, covering their own costs. They worked on the basking shark research boat Happy Jack, did effort based watches from the shore and entered thousands of data points. It is not too much to say that they transformed the basking shark research work in 2010. Thankyou so much. We will be getting a fresh batch of Dolphineers for 2011. I can't wait!
Particular thanks go to Dr Fiona Gell of the Manx Government's Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture. She is an invaluable member of the Basking Shark Steering Group and she is responsible for deciding which filming and scientific licenses will be issued, ensuring maximum conservation value to the shark work while ensuring minimum disturbance of the sharks.
We are also very grateful
to local boat operators Mal Kelly and Bob Taylor for all their help and
support. Thanks also to Mauvis Gore and David Rowat for their help with the
satellite tagging work.
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