This past year we have seen an alarming number of whales wash up on our shores here in the North East & Mid Atlantic. This unfortunate occurrence made us turn to Dr. Artie Kopelman to get his opinion on the matter and shed light on the current state of our local marine ecosystem. Dr. Kopelman is the President of CRESLI and has been studying whales in our waters since 1987. We met up with him on a spring day during one of his seal walks where he monitors, documents, and records their activity.
The Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island was founded in the summer of 1996 by a group of experts in marine mammal science, environmental sciences, education and conservation. CRESLI was formed for the purposes of conducting research, providing educational experiences and promoting the conservation of coastal ecosystems.
100% of proceeds from the sale of our Whale 5-panel hats will go to CRESLI to help support and further their mission.
Video by Maxwell Henderson. Photos by Casey Steffens.
Dr. Kopelman leads weekly seal watching walks on Moriches Bay, Long Island.
CRESLI has documented and tracked close to 200 different humpback whales from the Montauk area, and over 800 in their overall catalogue.
Seals gathering in Moriches Bay, Long Island.
A life-long New Yorker, Dr. Kopelman has over 35 years of experience documenting marine mammal life on the east coast.
