I was involved with the subject of whales for approximately 12 years, and I am a certified marine naturalist. I am currently completing my Masters where I am examining some of the issues I faced during my time working on this subject. I am examining this from a communication and technology point of view. Topics include; effects of social media, copyright violations, slander, reputation management and positive communication. See the academic page.
My work began in 1998 when I produced two short experimental films about killer whales. One film was about condemning keeping orcas in captivity, and the other (Canada Arts Council) film explored a legend about orcas, that would ironically mirror itself with my work of Luna. See the film page to know more about those earlier projects. I entered into this work as an artist, but soon found myself an activist. I have since retired from this work.
I collaborated with many groups including Whale Watching (I also directed several websites, managed blogs, and trained staff), NGO’s and private researchers and scientists. This post does not capture the magnitude of work done during this time, but provides a snapshot of the highlights.
Highlights include;
Luna L98 Killer Whale – monitoring and documenting of solitary orca. Ran a website, blog, and fundraising campaign in cooperation with the First Nations. Works were published online, Royal BC Museum, Whale Museum, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet & the Ellen DeGeneres show, Saving Luna and The Whale. One of my videos has gone viral on YouTube and continues to ignite an interesting conversation today. See Luna page.
Southern Resident Killer Whales, Transients & Humpback Whales – documentation of marine life for eco tourism & NGO’s resulted in a media large library. Works were published online, in magazines and educational publications (Suzuki Foundation) and on Discovery Channel. Works were used to broadcast activism campaigns for the Wilderness Committee and Eco Justice. Photography was included in Government catalogues for humpback whales. I collaborated with Dr. Anna Hall on several video projects and one of our videos was published on TV. Works were donated to NGO’s and research projects. I was recently acknowledged by the David Suzuki Foundation for my stewardship of whales.
Northern Resident Killer Whales, Transients & Humpback Whales – documentation of marine life also resulted in a large media library. Works were published online for NGO campaigns, in academic presentations for post doctoral fellows, in an interpretive centre, in research papers and catalogues and for NGO’s and Government for research needs. Video was published with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) for the protection of killer whales. Works were donated to NGO’s and research projects. I participated in a UVic school project for my Occupational Waste Management course, assessing an oil spill in Robson Bight, a marine protected area for Killer Whales.
Maria Bo Peronino Portfolio 