Erich Hoyt

Last updated
Erich Hoyt
Born (1950-09-28) September 28, 1950 (age 73)
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, researcher, conservationist, speaker
LanguageEnglish
NationalityCanadian, American
SubjectNature, Science, Marine Mammals, Marine Conservation
Years active1975–present
SpouseSarah Wedden (1989–present)
Children4
Website
erichhoyt.com

Erich Hoyt (born 28 September 1950) is a whale and dolphin (cetacean) researcher, conservationist, lecturer and author of 26 books and more than 700 reports, articles and papers. [1] [2] [3] [4] His book Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (Earthscan, Taylor & Francis, 2005; 2nd edition, 2011), has been widely reviewed as the "definitive reference of the current extent of cetacean ecosystems-based management" [5] and as "a unique and essential book for anybody interested in the conservation and protection of cetaceans. [This] definitive source on MPAs marine protected areas for cetaceans…will influence the design and management of this important and rapidly developing conservation tool." [6] Choice listed the book as an "Outstanding Academic Title’ for the year 2012. [7] Since 2013, as Research Fellow with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force co-chair with Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Hoyt has focussed on the creation and development of the new conservation tool of Important Marine Mammal Areas, or IMMAs. In 2016, following a MAVA Foundation pilot project to identify IMMAs in the Mediterranean, the Task Force's GOBI collaboration funded by the German Climate Initiative (IKI) began a six-year project to identify and implement IMMAs across most of the southern hemisphere. The IMMA tool has been received and widely endorsed by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), various commissions within the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Whaling Commission, as well as national governments and scientists. [8]

Contents

Writing

Hoyt wrote the first book on whale watching, The Whale Watcher’s Handbook (Doubleday, Penguin, 1984), which zoologist—BBC-TV presenter Mark Carwardine named his number one wildlife-book classic. [9] "When Hoyt wrote this book, he was well ahead of his time…few people had grasped the concept of whale-watching as a major, worldwide growth industry…It has been very influential over the years." [9] Hoyt also wrote the resolution that put whale watching on the International Whaling Commission agenda in the 1990s. That book, as well as his first book about his seven summers in the 1970s and 1980s with killer whales, or orcas, are considered classic whale texts. [10] [11] Orca: The Whale Called Killer is still in print after more than 30 years.

Among his other books are five written for children and six academic books. Two popular volumes on social insects, The Earth Dwellers, (Simon & Schuster, 1996) and Insect Lives (Harvard Univ. Press, 2002, with Smithsonian entomologist Ted Schultz) broke new ground. In Hoyt's "delightful…multi-layered" [12] The Earth Dwellers, the "ant’s eye view of life works spectacularly" [13] as Hoyt "fashions the ants into enchanting characters" [14] charting "an insect’s course through sex, aggression and foreign policy". [15] Insect Lives, an American Library Association "Outstanding Book for the College Bound" [16] [17] is a "potpourri of fascinating excerpts written by some of the finest insect biologists and naturalists spanning many centuries." [18] A deep sea book called Creatures of the Deep (Firefly, 2001) won the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Inc. Outstanding Book Award, General Nonfiction. [19] A second deep sea book, Weird Sea Creatures, this time for children, was published in 2013. In 2017 Hoyt published Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises which "draws on more than 40 years of scientific interactions with these intelligent and fascinating creatures," according to Library Journal : "Hoyt writes movingly on life cycles, the future for these animals and how readers can get involved in protecting them." [20]

Research and conservation

Hoyt is currently Research Fellow with WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation [21] [2] and Director of Marine Mammals for marinebio.org. [22] He also leads WDC's Global Marine Protected Areas Programme launched in 2008 by Team Russia as part of the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race. [23] He is an appointed member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Cetacean Specialist Group (SSC-CSG) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). [2] [3] He is a co-founder and serves on the steering and programme committees of the International Committee on Marine Mammal Protected Areas (icmmpa.org).

The research and conservation project Hoyt co-founded and has co-led since 1999, the Far East Russia Orca Project, has pioneered visual and acoustic monitoring, training of Russian students, and whale conservation in the remote, inhospitable Kamchatka seas, and has produced a number of papers on the communication and behavioural ecology of killer whales. [21] [24] [25] This work has led to improved understanding of the animals' acoustic repertoire and complex social structure, which includes matrilineal family clans, pods consisting of several families, and much larger "super-pods". [26] A related project which he co-directs, the Russian Cetacean Habitat Project, aims to study and conserve habitat for humpback, killer, fin, North Pacific right and Baird's beaked whales around the Russian Commander Islands. [27] [28] In 2013, he helped launch and became co-chair of the IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force. [8]

Hoyt has been working for whale and dolphin (cetacean) conservation since the early 1970s when his involvement in the first studies of wild killer whales in Canada led to campaigns to create a marine protected area to save their habitat. [29] [30] This, he says, "set him on a path," and "30 years, 14 books and hundreds of articles later, he has come full circle to the question that he addresses so thoroughly in the research for Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises," published first in 2005, with a completely revised and expanded second edition in 2011: "What does it mean to save the whales if their habitat is left unprotected?" [29] [31] This work, as well as the supporting website (http://www.cetaceanhabitat.org) "details the current state of cetacean conservation globally" [32] identifying and helping to conserve whale, dolphin and other important biologically diverse habitats in marine reserves and protected areas in the national waters of the world and on the high seas (international waters). [33]

Erich Hoyt's work is "very much at the forefront of work on marine protected areas," [34] [driving] the shift from taxon-oriented protectionism (e.g., the Marine Mammal Protection Act) to more ecosystem-oriented approaches to conservation [and] marking...the growing relative importance of marine conservation vs. terrestrial conservation." [35]

At the same time, Hoyt continues to work on a wide variety of other conservation projects such as multi-disciplinary exhibitions and symposia as well as writing and speaking related to Japanese whaling, whale watching and ocean conservation. [36] In 2010 he co-founded the Beautiful Whale Project and helped to organize and introduce a symposium devoted to "New Tales about Whales in Science, Society and Art" at the United Nations University, Tokyo, [37] as well as the "Eye to Eye with the Whale" exhibition of life-size photographs of Bryant Austin at Temporary Contemporary Gallery in Tokyo, both in December 2010. [38] [39]

A Canadian-US dual citizen, he lives in Bridport, England, with his wife and four children. [3]

Awards

In 1985 and 1986, Hoyt was a Vannevar Bush Fellow in the Public Understanding of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, in 1992 and 2000, served as James Thurber Writer-in-Residence at the Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio. [40] In 2013, Hoyt won the Mandy McMath Conservation Award at the annual conference of the European Cetacean Society in Portugal for his body of work including books, papers and work on marine conservation [41]

Bibliography

Adult nonfiction

Children’s books

Academic books

Anthologies — fiction and nonfiction (as editor)

Contributor (as author of individual chapters)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetacea</span> Infraorder of mammals

Cetacea is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel themselves through the water with powerful up-and-down movement of their tail which ends in a paddle-like fluke, using their flipper-shaped forelimbs to maneuver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolphin</span> Marine mammals, closely related to whales and porpoises

A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae, Platanistidae, Iniidae, Pontoporiidae, and possibly extinct Lipotidae. There are 40 extant species named as dolphins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orca</span> Largest living species of dolphin

The orca, or killer whale, is a toothed whale that is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus. Orcas are recognizable by their black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas are found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale watching</span> Viewing cetaceans in their habitats

Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity, but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes. A study prepared for International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2009 estimated that 13 million people went whale watching globally in 2008. Whale watching generates $2.1 billion per annum in tourism revenue worldwide, employing around 13,000 workers. The size and rapid growth of the industry has led to complex and continuing debates with the whaling industry about the best use of whales as a natural resource.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Risso's dolphin</span> Species of marine mammal

Risso's dolphin is a dolphin, the only species of the genus Grampus. Some of the closest related species to these dolphins include: pilot whales, pygmy killer whales, melon-headed whales, and false killer whales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothed whale</span> Parvorder of cetaceans

The toothed whales are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. 73 species of toothed whales are described. They are one of two living groups of cetaceans, the other being the baleen whales (Mysticeti), which have baleen instead of teeth. The two groups are thought to have diverged around 34 million years ago (mya).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blainville's beaked whale</span> Species of mammal

Blainville's beaked whale, or the dense-beaked whale, is believed to be the widest ranging mesoplodont whale. The French zoologist Henri de Blainville first described the species in 1817 from a small piece of jaw — the heaviest bone he had ever come across — which resulted in the name densirostris. Off the northeastern Bahamas, the animals are particularly well documented, and a photo identification project started sometime after 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gervais's beaked whale</span> Species of whale

Gervais's beaked whale, sometimes known as the Antillean beaked whale, Gulf Stream beaked whale, or European beaked whale is the most frequently stranding type of mesoplodont whale off the coast of North America. It has also stranded off South America and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burmeister's porpoise</span> Species of marine mammal

Burmeister's porpoise is a species of porpoise endemic to the coast of South America. It was first described by Hermann Burmeister, for whom the species is named, in 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dall's porpoise</span> Species of porpoise endemic to the North Pacific

Dall's porpoise is a species of porpoise endemic to the North Pacific. It is the largest of porpoises and the only member of the genus Phocoenoides. The species is named after American naturalist W. H. Dall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">False killer whale</span> Species of oceanic dolphin in the genus Pseudorca

The false killer whale is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus Pseudorca. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first described in 1846 as a species of porpoise based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the orca, or killer whale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf sperm whale</span> Species of whale

The dwarf sperm whale is a sperm whale that inhabits temperate and tropical oceans worldwide, in particular continental shelves and slopes. It was first described by biologist Richard Owen in 1866, based on illustrations by naturalist Sir Walter Elliot. The species was considered to be synonymous with the pygmy sperm whale from 1878 until 1998. The dwarf sperm whale is a small whale, 2 to 2.7 m and 136 to 272 kg, that has a grey coloration, square head, small jaw, and robust body. Its appearance is very similar to the pygmy sperm whale, distinguished mainly by the position of the dorsal fin on the body–nearer the middle in the dwarf sperm whale and nearer the tail in the other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale and Dolphin Conservation</span>

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), formerly Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in the UK, is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans). It has offices in the UK, North America, Germany and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West African Aquatic Mammals Memorandum of Understanding</span>

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding and entered into effect on 3 October 2008 under the auspices of the Bonn Convention. The MoU covers 29 range States. As of August 2012, 17 range States have signed the MoU, as well as a number of cooperating organizations.

References

  1. ↑ "White killer whale adult spotted for first time in wild". BBC News. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "WDCS Staff". www.wdcs.org. Archived from the original on 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  3. 1 2 3 "Erich Hoyt". www.goodreads.com.
  4. ↑ Matthews, Tracey. 2006. Contemporary authors new revision series: Vol. 142 bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields, Gale, Detroit.
  5. ↑ Wilson, B. 2005. Environmental Conservation 32(3): 283-284.
  6. ↑ Berrow, S. 2005. Biology and Environment. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 105B(3), p195.
  7. ↑ Outstanding Academic Titles, 2012. Choice, v.50, no. 05, January 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Home". Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force.
  9. 1 2 Carwardine, M. 1995. Natural Classic, BBC Wildlife, July, p79.
  10. ↑ Publishers Weekly, June 26, 1981, review, p54
  11. ↑ 10] Discover, September 1981, p77-78.
  12. ↑ Barnett, Adrian. 1998. Review of The Earth Dwellers. New Scientist, Dec. 19.
  13. ↑ Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher 1996. Books of the Times: Paragons of Terrestrial Success,The New York Times, March 7, p B5
  14. ↑ Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1995
  15. ↑ Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher 1996. "Books of the Times: Paragons of Terrestrial Success, The New York Times, March 7, p B5
  16. ↑ "ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound | Book awards | LibraryThing". www.librarything.com.
  17. ↑ "Science and Technology". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). March 15, 2007.
  18. ↑ Carlson, Albert D. 2003. Review of Insect Lives. Quarterly Review of Biology, June, p239.
  19. ↑ Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine [under "Past Awards"] Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  20. ↑ Library Journal, November 16, 2017
  21. 1 2 "White killer whale adult spotted for first time in wild". BBC News. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  22. ↑ "MarineBio & Our Mission ~ MarineBio Conservation Society". marinebio.org. Retrieved 30 August 2012.[ title missing ]
  23. ↑ "Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - WDCS International - Homes for whales". Archived from the original on 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  24. ↑ Filatova, O. A., Deecke, V.B., Ford, J.K.B., Matkin, C.O., Barrett-Lennard, L.G., Guzeev, M.A., Burdin, A.M., Hoyt, E. 2012. Call diversity in the North Pacific killer whale populations: implications for dialect evolution and population history, Animal Behaviour 83, pp595-603 ISSN   0003-3472 doi : 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.12.013
  25. ↑ Ivkovich, T., Filatova, O.A., Burdin, A.M., Sato, H., Hoyt, E. 2010. The social organization of resident-type killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Avacha Gulf, Northwest Pacific, as revealed through association patterns and acoustic similarity. Mammalian Biology 75:198-210 ISSN   1616-5047 doi : 10.1016/j.mambio.2009.03.06
  26. ↑ Sendova-Franks, A. 2012. "Call diversity in killer whales", Animal Behaviour 83, p572 ISSN   0003-3472
  27. ↑ "Russian Cetacean Habitat Project". www.habitat.russianorca.com.
  28. ↑ "Russian Orcas Homepage". www.russianorca.com.
  29. 1 2 Levin, A. 2005. "Save the whales’ habitat". BBC Wildlife, March 2005, p67 ISSN   0265-3656
  30. ↑ Hoyt, E. 1990. Orca: The Whale Called Killer, Third Edition, Firefly, Toronto and New York, Epilogue.
  31. ↑ Hoyt, E. 2011. Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises: A World Handbook for Cetacean Habitat Conservation and Planning. Earthscan/Routledge and Taylor & Francis, London and New York, 464pp. + 13pp prelims + 12pp plates, ISBN   978-1-84407-763-2
  32. ↑ Ryan, S. 2005. Tourism in Marine Environments 2(1):49-50. ISSN   1544-273X
  33. ↑ "Official website" (PDF). www.cetaceanhabitat.org. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  34. ↑ Loose, E. 2011. "New resource on Marine Protected Areas" [Retrieved 2 Oct. 2012]
  35. ↑ Nawojchik, R. 2005. Aquatic Mammals 31(4):481 doi : 10.1578/AM31.4.2005.481
  36. ↑ Morikawa, J. and Hoyt, E. 2011. "Of whales, whaling and whale watching in Japan: A conversation." In P. Brakes and M.P. Simmonds (eds) Whales and Dolphins: Cognition, Culture, Conservation and Human Perceptions, Earthscan/Routledge and Taylor & Francis, London and New York, pp89-99, ISBN   978-1-84971-224-8
  37. ↑ "beautifulwhale.com". beautifulwhale.com. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  38. ↑ "beautifulwhale.com". beautifulwhale.com. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  39. ↑ "Life-size whale pics will leave viewers in awe | the Japan Times Online". Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  40. ↑ Matthews, Tracey. 2006. Contemporary Authors new revision series: Vol. 142 bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields, Gale, Detroit.
  41. ↑ "Setubal - Erich Hoyt wins the Conservation Award REV". Somewhere Far Away...: Setubal. 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
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