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NEWPORT, Ore. – Doug Sandilands will give a free public talk this Sunday, April 15, on “Large Whale Entanglement in Pacific Northwest Fishing Gear.”

His presentation, sponsored by the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Hennings Auditorium of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. The center is located at 2030 S.E. Marine Science Drive, just southeast of the Highway 101 bridge over Yaquina Bay.

Entanglement is a leading cause of injury and mortality among many whale populations. In his talk, Sandilands will address the issue of entanglement, what the North Pacific Large Whale Entanglement Response Network is doing to address the problem, and how mariners, naturalists and the public can help as educators and responders.

Sandilands is an entanglement response specialist with SR3, Sealife Response, Rehabilitation & Research. The Washington-based organization works to disentangle marine mammals from debris, responds to stranded or injured marine wildlife, researches sea star wasting disease, studies cetacean health with an emphasis on resident orcas, works with tribes and communities, and seeks to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

Sandilands is a founding member of Cetus Research & Conservation Society, a Canadian non-profit organization that also works to free entangled whales. He previously worked for the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Center.