Dedicated to the research and protection of North Atlantic Right Whales
and inspiring public stewardship of local ecosystems
Our Mission & Values
Whale Guard Bioacoustic Research Inc. is dedicated to the research and protection of North Atlantic Right Whales. Thank you for your interest in supporting our mission and learning how you can support this cause.
Protecting the Planet
There are currently fewer than 400 individual North Atlantic Right Whales living today. These whales are protecting our planet. Just one NARW is able to remove 30 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere in 1 year by fertilizing phytoplankton through nutrient cycling. Without our help, they will go extinct.
Current Threats
The two biggest threats to these magnificent creatures are rope entanglements and injuries caused by boat strikes. Our goal is to improve response time for NARW entanglements by working toward the creation of an early entanglement warning system utilizing bioacoustics to analyze and isolate the distress call of these incredible marine mammals. With this knowledge, we will be able to decrease the time it takes to rescue them.
Why Your Help Matters
With your support, we can equip our team with the tools and technology needed to learn these distress calls and pinpoint the NARW’s exact location when whales are in danger.
Our current needs include: Jet Zodiac (smaller vessel); suction cup heart rate monitor tag; 3 drones; rubidium time chip for boat hydrophone; 3 hydrophone arrays; research team support and research vessel.
Our Founder
Nick Williams is a Naturalist and Marine Biologist dedicated to the conservation of marine life—especially the highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. With a degree in Biology focused on Ecology from the University of South Florida and a decade of experience working with animals (beginning as a zoo keeper), Nick has contributed to marine research through roles at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, including work in fisheries, dolphin research, and bioacoustics. His projects have ranged from tagging studies on goliath grouper to developing a Manatee Vocal Recognition initiative that concluded in 2023.
As a Naturalist at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Nick leads nature tours, performs wildlife rescues, and designs educational programs that inspire public stewardship of local ecosystems. A certified Florida Master Naturalist and Protected Species Observer, Nick also founded a citizen science dolphin research program integrating photo ID and bioacoustic methods to better understand and protect coastal wildlife.
