The reality of our work is that situations and incidents can be wildly different, which means that the requests we make of volunteers are not always the same. However, typically volunteers may be asked to:

• Check a reported incident site to see if the reported animal is still there.
• Take photos to fully document the animal(s).
• Take measurements of dead animals.
• Assist MARS Responders in moving fresh carcasses from the incident location (e.g., beach) or to another location (e.g., MARS freezer).
• Monitor the condition of live animals and their current situation (e.g., are they being harassed, are they moving to a hazardous location etc.) and provide updates to MARS Responders.
• Secure a carcass in its location until it can be picked up.
• Establish security perimeters for active incidents and assist with crowd control if necessary.
• Take samples from carcasses (only when trained and instructed to do so).
• Assist with MARS outreach events.
• Assist with data collection, taking photographs, sampling, refloatation, or other roles during large-whale necropsies or live stranding incidents.

Unfortunately, this is a hard question to answer. As you can imagine, the nature of the work we do is very unpredictable. We can’t anticipate the species or types of incidents we get calls about, or the timing and location. Some types of responses can be seasonal due to animal migration and lifecycle, but others can occur any time of year due to the species’ presence in our waters year-round. MARS gets approximately 400-600 calls per year to our hotline and these calls involve 100-300 animals for which some kind of response may be needed. This is different from organizations that respond to incidents involving terrestrial (land-based) animals, who receive thousands of call a year.

Because of the number of calls we receive, some of our volunteers may not be contacted very often – and sometimes not at all. However, this doesn’t mean we don’t value your contribution. Knowing that we have people in all locations that can respond if and when we get a call is essential to the work we do. Remember, if you don’t get a call this is a good thing – it means no animals were in trouble or found deceased in your area! In general, the typical time commitment to be a MARS Volunteer is low, however when a ‘lengthier’ response happens (for volunteers that are qualified and available) the hours can be high for a short period of time (i.e., during a necropsy, or a live animal event).

Let’s look at a couple of examples to illustrate the range in commitment that volunteers may experience:

Volunteer A lives in Halifax which is where we have our highest concentration of MARS volunteers. It is also where our core MARS Response Team is located. To ensure all of the volunteers in Halifax have the opportunity to respond to marine animal incidents, we use a system called the ‘HRM Rotation’. This system places 15-20 volunteers on a targeted list each month, who become our ‘go-to’ volunteers throughout that month when volunteer assistance is required. Each month, this list changes and 15-20 new volunteers have the opportunity to be called. This system means that for the remaining 11 months of the year, Volunteer A may not be on the HRM Rotation and will likely not receive any callouts. Because we can’t guarantee we will have an incident that needs volunteer support during any given month, sometimes this means that we have volunteers who have been on our list for years and have never ‘actively’ volunteered with us.

Volunteer B lives on the west coast of Cape Breton, where we currently have a limited number of volunteers but we routinely get calls for a variety of incidents. This means that Volunteer B could potentially receive multiple requests in a month (or even in a week during the busy season). This does not mean that the volunteer must respond to every request, but the opportunity exists if they are available. Note: if a volunteer must decline a request, this does not have any negative impact on any future volunteering opportunities.

Anyone 18+ can volunteer with MARS – no experience or prior training is required. Some characteristics or assets that may make your volunteer experience more impactful include:

• Having an interest in marine animals and conservation, as well as enjoying the outdoors and spending time around the water.
• Being motivated, available to respond, and living near the ocean in one of the Maritime Provinces.
• Having a digital camera or smart phone (for taking pictures), internet access, and a mobile phone for communication in the field and rapid transfer of visual documentation.
• Although not always required, having a vehicle is an asset for many incident support requests.

We have several online courses available for volunteers to learn more about volunteering with us and the various aspects of incident response. Our volunteer manual also details important information that volunteers need to know about marine animal response. As we continue to expand our volunteer program we hope to provide additional opportunities for learning.

Our response system starts when we receive a report to the MARS toll-free hotline of an animal that may need our assistance, or has been found deceased. MARS Responders assess each situation and make informed decisions about the best way to move forward based on the information provided. If the Responder determines that we need someone to check on the animal, or that additional support is needed for a response operation, our volunteer network is often engaged. When it is determined that a volunteer is needed, the MARS Responder will see what volunteers we have in the region in question and reach out to contact them – this is why it is very important to keep your contact information up to date once you are a volunteer!

MARS is based out of Halifax, but we respond to incidents across all the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island)! This is why volunteers are needed across all these provinces.

Since we largely use our volunteers for location-based work, our volunteers need to be based in one of the Maritime Provinces. However, supporters both in and outside the Maritime Provinces do provide critical support via donations. We wouldn’t be able to do the work we do without this support!

Yes! Volunteers are needed throughout the Maritime Provinces, especially in our more rural areas. In addition to yourself, if you have any friends or family members in the Maritimes who you think would be willing to respond and assist in the case of an incident, please feel free to suggest us to them.

We love and appreciate the passion for the ocean that we hear about from younger individuals, however due to liability constraints we are currently limited to adult (18+) volunteers.

The simple answer to this question is no. Since incidents are sporadic and unpredictable in nature we can never guarantee when or where incident response will be required, which means that we also cannot require you to be available on certain days or at specific times. Volunteering with MARS is based on your availability and capacity within the moment – anytime a volunteer is available to help is greatly appreciated. If not, that’s fine too. There’s no “penalty” for not being able to help when called upon. Ideally, we do look for volunteers that can commit to us for a longer time period – however we understand that life happens and we do not require a certain number of years’ commitment at this time either.

No. We do not have consistently recurring opportunities for volunteers, and therefore do not have regularly scheduled shifts. When opportunities come up you will be contacted. Typically, responses have relatively little notice; however, certain volunteer opportunities may be planned in advance – for example participating in an outreach event.

Incidents are sporadic and unpredictable. In addition, certain species are migratory and are only in our waters seasonally. For others, incidents may predominantly be related to specific parts of their life cycle. For example, during seal “pupping” season we receive a high volume of calls about ill, injured, wandering or malnourished pups that we need assistance to investigate.

Some examples of common occurrences that MARS may require volunteer assistance for follow.

1. A caller has reported a live baby seal on the beach. Our Responders have determined that the pup requires additional monitoring to determine its overall health prior to making further decisions. They will contact a few nearby volunteers to ask if any of them are available to check out the animal, and then report back on the situation, its condition, any concerns etc.
2. A caller has reported a dolphin carcass on the beach. By looking at photos submitted by the caller MARS Responders have determined that it is not possible to collect the carcass due to the advanced state of decomposition, but it would still be good to obtain further documentation for research and monitoring purposes. The MARS Responder would check to see which volunteers live close to the incident, and then reach out to see if anyone is available. In this situation, an available volunteer would be asked to take more photos, measurements, and possibly some simple samples from the animal (additional instructions would be provided for sampling).
3. MARS would like to participate in a public outreach event such as World Oceans Day, in order to increase the awareness of MARS in our communities. We need volunteers for events such as this to assist with set up and take down, as well as manning the booth throughout the day. In this case, volunteers would be contacted in advance to arrange an appropriate schedule for the day.

There are several other ways in which volunteers are engaged, including assisting MARS Responders with securing animals or helping to lift or move a carcass. Even during more complex situations (e.g., live strandings, necropsies of large whales etc.), which rely primarily on highly-trained personnel, volunteers can still be very important to support these operations with activities such as data and photo collection, crowd control etc.

In each case, the MARS Responder will call and / or email the volunteer to give instructions.

Due to limited capacity and funding we are unable to take on interns or co-op students at this time.

We do not have a rehabilitation facility.

Being pregnant or breastfeeding does not preclude you from volunteering with MARS. However, it may impact the types of activity that you should participate in, especially in regard to response activities that require close contact with live or dead animals. MARS recommends consulting with your doctor or medical professional for advice related to appropriate activities for your personal health circumstances.

No, you don’t. We do respond to dead animals, which can be uncomfortable for some individuals. Response to these incidents usually involves taking photos and measurements of dead animals, which can be done without touching the animal. However, sometimes it also involves touching, sampling, securing, or moving the animal. MARS maintains that human health and safety (both mental and physical) is at the forefront of every decision. If you do not feel comfortable or are unable to participate in any activity, please let our Responders know immediately. You will never be required to do something that you are uncomfortable with or unable to do, and you will not be penalized for these decisions.

Possibly, but probably not in the way that you think. Wild marine animals can carry diseases that are transferrable to humans, have sharp teeth, and can thrash or move violently. There are relatively few reasons that we would ever instruct you to touch a live animal, and it is illegal to touch them without direct instruction from a federally permitted organization such as MARS.

MARS’ goals center on response, research, and engagement, and we do respond to both distressed and dead animals. In the interests of research, we collect data and samples and, sometimes, even the entire animal (in the case of dead animals). We may ask volunteers to help with these tasks, so it is possible that an assistance request would involve you touching the animal as you move or sample it. With that said, proper safety precautions must always be strictly adhered to, including wearing proper protection during sampling (e.g., gloves, masks, protective clothing).

It is likely that if you are asked to respond to an incident that you would have to travel from your location to where the animal has been reported. With that said, MARS Responders try to keep requests for response within 30-45 minutes of your home to prevent our volunteers from having to travel too far for response. There may be specific situations that result in a volunteer being asked to travel further, however those are less common and determined on a case-by-case basis. This could include traveling with the MARS Response team from Halifax for an incident, being picked up en-route, or responding to an urgent remote incident as the closest volunteer. Keep in mind that you have no obligation to respond to an incident if it does not work for you.

No. We do not require attendance at any event or meeting.