University Centre of the Westfjords is University based is an independent establishment for higher education located in the capital of the Westfjords, Ísafjörður. We are grateful to work closely with them on our Whales of Ísa projects and advise Coastal and Marine Management Master’s students.

The University of Iceland’s Research Centre Húsavík has conducted marine mammal research in Skjálfandi Bay since 2007 and we have worked with the research centre since 2018. Both Prof. Marianne Rasmussen (co-director) and Dr Charla Basran (postdoctoral researcher) have collaborated with Whale Wise and acted as advisors for our research projects. The research centre has also provided accommodation and research equipment. To date, we have contributed fluke images of more than 300 humpback whales to the research centre’s extensive photo-identification catalogue. Beyond research, we worked with the research centre to coordinate the engagement project ViROE.

Sjóferðir / Sea Travels is a whale-watching company based in Ísafjörður, Westfjords Iceland. We have been proudly collaborating with Sjóferðir since 2024 to better understand the Whales of Ísafjarðardjúp.

Sjóferðir allows us to join their whale-watching vessels to collect valuable whale data. As of 2026, Sjóferðir will have assisted us with 5 MSc student thesis projects. Additionally, we are working together with Sjóferðir to help create the Ísafjarðardjúp Whale Sanctuary with IceWhale.

Run by graphic artist and illustrator Rosemary Connelli, Connelli Designs strives to create imagery as a storytelling strategy in the efforts of conservation, with a focus on marine animals. We have collaborated with Connelli Designs since 2020, with Rosemary producing infographics and illustrations for projects including citizen science and Whales on the Go, helping audiences to understand scientific research and identify whale species.

Organisation Cetacea (ORCA) is a whale conservation charity based in the UK. Through a large network of trained volunteers, they collect critical whale data around the world. ORCA have given us access to their sightings app, ORCA OceanWatchers, as well as online training, enabling us to readily conduct scientific surveys on whale-watching vessels in the Icelandic Westfjords and beyond. Through the app, our data feed into the international Joint Cetacean Data Programme, a huge data base of cetacean sightings.

Láki Tours is a whale-watching company based in the west of Iceland, and we started a collaboration in 2022 to conduct research in the Westfjords. Judith Scott, a whale-watching guide, is contributing whale images and sightings as part of the Scars from Above project, while captain Franklin has provided invaluable logistic support to the team. To date, Judith has shared fluke images of more than 100 humpback whales. More generally, the Láki Tours team have shared their local knowledge of marine life in the Westfjords to guide our work.

The Húsavík Whale Museum is a non-profit institution in North Iceland, with an incredible collection of cetacean skeletons and other educational resources. We have collaborated with the museum since 2018 on various engagement projects and events, from Ocean Films Húsavík to Whales on the Go.

Sound Science Research Collective is an Alaska-based non-profit dedicated to excellence in research and equity in science. We have collaborated with Sound Science since 2020 to conduct primarily acoustic research, including an assessment of drone noise and COVID-19 acoustics and soundscape analysis in East Iceland.

We have collaborated with the Changing Oceans Group at The University of Edinburgh since 2018, when Tom conducted his PhD under the supervision of Dr Lea-Anne Henry. We have also hosted students from the university’s Marine Systems and Policies MSc course (led by Lea-Anne) to complete their dissertations, contributing to studies including an assessment of whale-watching responses and Listening Lines. We also worked with the university’s Clinical Research Facility and Dr Natalie Homer to process blow samples. During this period, the university has provided resources, funding and scientific guidance.

Whale Watching Hólmavík is a small family-owned company in the Westfjords of Iceland, operating in the fjord of Steingrímsfjörður. They are supporting our research by allowing us to join their whale-watching trips and collect sighting and photo-identification data.