Tuesday Night Talks: Nova Scotia Vessels as Research Platforms: The Sea Turtle Story

Kathleen Martin is speaking at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on Tuesday, October 27, as part of the museum's Tuesday Night Talks. She's the executive director of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network (CSTN), a charity that brings together scientists, commercial fishermen and coastal community members to conserve endangered sea turtles in Canadian waters and around the world. The network won the Gold Canadian Environment Award for Conservation.

Her talk focuses on a specific part of the Atlantic coast that doesn't always get the spotlight: how Nova Scotia's fishing fleet helps research these animals. Atlantic Canada's waters are among the most important in the world for leatherback sea turtles, which migrate from nesting grounds in Central and South America to feed and grow fat on jellyfish. Their biggest threat here is accidental entanglement in commercial fishing gear. For over 25 years, the CSTN has worked closely with fishermen, using boats from Nova Scotia's lobster, snow crab and swordfish industries as key platforms for its at-sea research. Martin, a founding member of the network, will be talking through that partnership.

Beyond the research, Martin has written eight books for young people, so she's used to explaining this kind of work to a broad audience. The talk is open to everyone, and the museum is free to enter from 4 pm to 8 pm, with donations to Feed Nova Scotia welcome. The session runs from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the museum, 1675 Lower Water Street, Halifax.