Dr. Renaud de Stephanis:
Founder and president of the association
since 2000. He started to work with whale watching companies in 1997, integrating
research and conservation projects in the companies. In 2000, he created the
association CIRCE with help of other members in order to have the necessary
logistic for the research on cetaceans in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf
of Cadiz. He now supervises most of CIRCE's projects and he is writing his PhD
thesis on feeding strategies of different pilot whale group of the Strait of
Gibraltar.
Philippe Verborgh:
Entered in CIRCE in September 2001 as a
volunteer, he quickly became an important part of the association as coordinator
of the CIRCE in France and webmaster of CIRCE's website. Currently he is doing
his PhD on genetic, population dynamics and survival rate of the pilot whale
of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Ruth Esteban :
Ruth begun as a volunterr in 2003 to coordinate volunteers
in a project from land on fin whales with volunteers. She recently finished
her Master's thesis and is currently working on her PhD thesis with the Universidad
de Cádiz on killer whales in the Strait of Gibraltar and the gulf of
Cadiz. She is also coordinating volunteers working from land.
Pauline Gauffier :
Pauline came for the first time with 10 students of the
Agrocampus Rennes, France to carry out a project on the socio-economic impact
of whale watching companies in 2006. Then she continued with training in CIRCE
to identify the "unmarked" individuals of pilot whales in order to
identify the entire population. She has recently finished her Master's thesis
on "Estimating the consequences of the 2006-07 Morbillivirus epizootic
on the long-finned pilot whales in the Strait of Gibraltar". She is currently
preparing her PhD thesis on the conservation of fin whales in the Mediterranean
Sea.
Yohan Jaget :
Yohan started in CIRCE with his Master's thesis on the improvement
of estimating a correction factor to better estimate total population sizes.
He is currently preparing his PhD thesis on cetacean acoustics in the Strait
of Gibraltar.
Noelia Seller :
Noelia begun as a volunterr in
2003 to coordinate volunteers in a project from land on fin whales with volunteers.
She is currently the head of CIRCE's education department. She is in charge
of all the education projects, developing different actions such as oral presentations
in Algeciras schools.
David Alarcón:
Journalist for 10 years, he is responsible
of the communication in CIRCE. He has worked for the channel Televisión
Estepona, and in newspapers such as the Faro Información. Great photographer,
he is webmaster of 2 websites: the Spanish Society for Cetaceans and also an
information and photo website of the Strait www.rinconfotografico.com.
And all the people who came to CIRCE and made it what it is today.... a huge THANKS to (in order of appearance): Renato, Neus, Patri, Manolo, Juanma, Filipo, Evix, Eva, Zaida, Ruth, Noelia, Vicky, Lydia, Niko, Pablo, David, Ali, Sergi, Maria, Pauline, Yohan, Cecilia, Cris and Joan:
Thanks also to all the people who helped and continue to help us (Susi, Bea, Marta, Isabelle, Guillermo, Diana and Enara):
Without forgetting the French (Anne, Xtophe, Domi, Titi, Alice and Amélie)
