Intern​/Volunteer

The Whale Museum’s Marine Mammal Response Program:
Summer 2026 Program Assistant

I. POSITION

DESCRIPTION:

This program assistant position will assist year-round staff of The Whale Museum’s Marine Mammal Response Program (TWMMMRP) with efforts to provide coverage for all marine mammal stranding calls in San Juan County (SJC), Washington State. SJC comprises over 734 rocks and islands visible at high tide, with a total shoreline of approximately 400 miles. Many of these islands are uninhabited and accessible only by private vessel.

Pinniped strandings account for approximately 90% of all responses, most occurring during harbor seal pupping season from June through August. Each year, TWMMMRP receives around 150 reports/year and conducts necropsies and collects Level A data for all calls when possible. The program is overseen by The Whale Museum’s Research Director with daily duties directed by the TWMMMRP Coordinator.

The seasonal assistant will assist the TWMMMRP Coordinator in all duties such as: responding to calls by truck or vessel, necropsies, data entry, sample management, lab inventory, and being on-call. They will also be trained in large whale disentanglement theory and pinniped capture. The ideal candidate will have all the required qualifications and some combination of the preferred and desired qualifications.

The candidate will be based on San Juan Island and will be contracted for 20 hours per week for a period of 12 weeks starting May or June 2026 (start date flexible). Weekend and holiday work will be required.

II. KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist with daily TWMMMRP operations, including: monitoring the stranding hotline for reports, conducting health assessments of live seal pups in the field, tagging live harbor seals that are not collected for rehabilitation, transferring injured pups to a local rehabilitation center, surveying and documenting entangled animals, conducting Level A examinations of stranded marine mammals, driving the program’s 21’ Munson landing craft (catamaran hull, twin outboard).
• Assist with necropsies of fresh dead marine mammals including: transferring carcasses to the lab space, setting-up, and taking down necropsy supplies, note-taking, photography, prosecting, organizing, archiving and shipping biological samples
• Assist with equipment maintenance
• Involvement in education and outreach
• Communicating with a volunteer network of approximately 60 people

III.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Applicant must be willing to relocate to San Juan Island, WA for the duration of the position. All TWMMMRP equipment is stored on San Juan Island.
• Familiarity with handling small vessels in dynamic conditions
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment and communicate empathically with others
• The drive to learn skills to become a competent field biologist with the goal of applying the skills learned in a future related position
• Proficiency in English

IV.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Basic photography skills
• Ability to move up to 30 lbs

V. DESIRED

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with public communication and conflict resolution
• Experience working with animals

OTHER POSITION DETAILS:

• Pay: $25/hr, 20 hrs/week, 12 weeks
• All applicants must already have the right to work in the United States. TWM can not sponsor work visas for international applicants.
• The Program Assistant will be responsible for responding to stranding reports with other TWMMMRP staff and/or volunteers. The waterways around the San Juan Islands are extremely variable depending on weather, tides, and other factors. You must be comfortable aboard a small vessel.
• TWMMMRP is a research program of The Whale Museum (TWM). Our office is housed at TWM in the heart of Friday Harbor and lab space is at UW’s Friday Harbor Labs 2 miles away.
• The community in the San Juans care deeply about the marine wildlife so you will often find yourself in sensitive situations when handling stranded animals. Sometimes TWMMMRP decisions are met with dissatisfaction, questioning, or anger at our action/inaction in specific cases (e.g. leaving an abandoned pup on a beach where it will likely die). You must be prepared to learn how to manage…