Charismatic Cetaceans and Anthropology of the Sea - Livestream

On April 5th, 2026, members of the ACS SF Bay chapter gathered in Monterey for a whale watch led by marine biologist and Monterey Bay Whale Watch owner, Nancy Black. What a wondrous four hours we had - treated to cetaceans not commonly seen in the numbers we witnessed. For many of us, the encounter with the Northern Right Whale Dolphins was a first and we were dazzled observing their sleek dorsal-finless bodies and witnessing their ‘playful’ behavior. Please join us as photographer-extraordinaire Jodi Frediani shares photos from that day and anthropologist Andrew Loyd Smith discusses his research examining human - cetacean interactions during whale-watching excursions with a focus on Monterey Bay. He will discuss his work that explores how encounters with pelagic dolphin species - especially northern right whale dolphins and Pacific white-sided dolphins - elicit distinctive responses of awe, but even framed in terms such as “weird.”

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