Colleen Talty

Colleen has loved Killer Whales ever since she watched Free Willy when she was young! That kick started her love for the ocean and keeping cetaceans wild and free. She has volunteered for the Ric O’Barry Dolphin Project at several demonstrations at captive facilities around the country. Colleen has both her Master of Science degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and has been studying whales and dolphins for over 8 years. She studied Bottlenose Dolphins on the East Coast for several years before relocating on the west coast, specifically to study Orcas! She has been a research assistant for 3 years now, studying orca behavior, predation, and photo-identifying individuals. She has also attended and presented at several marine mammal conferences. She teaches college level Biology and Environmental Science courses both in person and online. Colleen also leads public tours for Monterey Bay Whale Watch and runs the intern program for high school and college students and teaches them how to collect opportunistic data and photo-ID pictures.

Colleen’s goal for California Killer Whale Project is to continue helping to conserve this unique population of Killer Whales and to educate the public on the importance of these apex predators.