Dr Dan R. Salden
Scientist

Dr. Salden is Emeritus Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. For sixteen years, he served as Chair of his academic department. In 1997, he returned to full-time teaching in order to allow more time for his research activities with the Hawaii Whale Research Foundation, and in 2000, he retired from the university in order to give the foundation his full attention.

His study of humpback whales and other marine mammals began in 1978. After several years of independent work, Dr. Salden co-founded with Clancy Greff of Captain Zodiac Expeditions the Hawaii Whale Research Foundation in 1987. In 1988 he applied for and received a National Marine Fisheries Service Research Permit. Subsequent permits were issued in 1993 and 1998.

The principal focus of his humpback research in Hawaii and Alaska has been on long-term social affiliation patterns. Most of his work has concentrated on an attempt to discover such relationships on the winter breeding/calving grounds in Hawaii.

Cynthia D’Vincent
Scientist

Cynthia D'Vincent is an internationally recognized marine biologist, photographer, public speaker and author. Since 1974 she has studied marine mammals, working with the National Marine Fisheries Service and Intersea Foundation.

Capt. D'Vincent has owned and operated two research vessels, the 93' square-rigged sailing ship Varua and the 126' classic fantail Acania. Her studies have taken her to remote corners of the earth including the Polar Ice Cap, the South Pacific, the lagoons of Mexico and the coasts of California and Alaska. She has directed over 200 successful projects for federal and private institutions and hosted more than 3000 students and scientists at sea.

Her worldwide research and adventures have been the subject of television documentaries, a festival-winning feature film and an IMAX movie. She has published in both the popular and scientific press, authored two books on whale behavior, and her photography has been featured in shows at many institutions.

Her crowning achievement is her discovery of cooperative feeding among North Pacific humpback whales - a contribution of notable significance to the body of scientific knowledge of an endangered species.

Dr Sean Hanser
Scientist

University of California Davis animal behaviorist and graduate student Sean Hanser, in conjunction with the Alaska Whale Foundation and the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI), are researching humpback whale vocalizations and looking specifically at the effects of boat noises in southeast Alaskan waters on their complex interactive vocal behaviors.

Hanser has been researching the organizational complexity of marine mammals for the past eight to 10 years, initially with captive bottlenose dolphins, and have been working on their current study since 2004. Hanser works closely with the Humpback Whales examining feeding calls, their use in coordination of cooperative feeding behavior, and the possible effects of boat noise on this behavior and communication system. Field sites located in Chaitham Straight and Fredrick Sound, Alaska.

Sir David Attenborough
Narrator

Sir David Attenborough, is one of the world's most acclaimed broadcasters and naturalists. Widely considered one of the pioneers of the nature documentary, his career as the respected face and voice of British natural history programmes has endured more than 50 years.

He is best known for writing and presenting the eight "Life" series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, which collectively form a comprehensive survey of all terrestrial life. A ninth series is in production.

He is also a former senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC2 and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s.