Whale Rescues

Charles Mayo '65 has pioneered the rescue of big whales caught in fishing gill nets. This is not an act of mere sentiment. Populations of the great-whale species have plummeted to the point where every individual counts. "Each time Stormy Mayo saves a whale, he's saving a significant percentage of the population," notes researcher Roger Payne, president of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

In 1976 Mayo and wife Barbara, both marine biologists, founded the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetwown, Massachusetts, the only group with a federal permit to attempt the risky whale rescues. The center also is recognized as one of the leading research facilities for the study of great-whale behavior, habitats, and migratory movements.

Mayo's team gets whales out of hot water.