SCIENCE
& RESEARCH
USEA Science and Research Department is built on more than 20 years of its founder's experience, along with his 6,000 successful dives with orcas. Our main scope of interest reaches out to orca, whale and dolphin communication, behavior, emotional display, and social interaction within the pod and towards humans. We are in active and tight connection with various marine biologists, researchers, and scientists, constantly exchanging knowledge and sharing valuable insights.
Last but not least, USEA is exploring and documenting cetacean sounds, frequencies, and vibrations - their effect, meaning, and legacy of this archaic oceanic civilization.
Our mission is to connect both the scientific and general public communities in a friendly bond while creating an open-minded and safe environment for discussion. We believe that “information is power” and within our alliance, marine conservation ideas, and evolving progressive thoughts about cetacean intelligence and communication are nourished and supported.
LEAD RESEARCHER.
FROM USEA
TO CETOSONOTHERAPY.
PIERRE
ROBERT DE LATOUR.
“My scientific background began right after my studies of biology and laboratory analytics. I assisted various biologists in two different biomedical laboratories, focusing mainly on biochemistry, hematology, serology, microbiology and hormonology. After 4 years in the human biology field, I succeeded at the challenging entry examination for the District Laboratory of the Landes in Mont de Marsan, where I coordinated processes of veterinary biology. These complex projects included microbiology, parasitology, serology, hematology, biochemistry, food bacteriology, and necropsy. Between 1992 and 2012, I was able to develop a chemistry department and perform the physiochemical micro-pollutants analyzes such as drug residues, anabolic steroids, agonists, thyrostats, organ chlorines, organophosphates or pyrethroids. I have also analyzed food samples by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer, ECD, liquid chromatography and mass/mass spectrometry.
As a proud and active member of GEFMA (belonging to national stranding network), I collected data of stranded dolphin carcasses on the coast of the Landes County.
I led a micro pollutants research program on the tissues of stranded dolphin corpses, highlighting the high level of contamination of these dolphin populations in the South Atlantic.
In early 1998, meanwhile I was running this scientific activity; I joined ORCA expedition in Norway as an underwater guide and safety diver with the team Orca Norway. During the following 25 years, I have performed more than 7,000 successful underwater interactions and guided more than 1,500 divers in close encounter with orcas in Norway.
Soon, the design of USEA network came along and I became an international speaker in 2012, while being published as 3rd author on a behavioral study about Norwegian orcas in the scientific magazine "Scientific Report" belonging to Nature Publishing Group. I am honored to be also the bestselling author of book " Frère Des Orques" (In the brotherhood of orcas).
During my underwater encounters, I understood the importance of the sounds produced by the large cetaceans. This fact became obvious over the course of years, that the presence of cetaceans changes the life of those who approach them, and these changes are always towards a better being, an improvement, or mending.
The hypothesis that cetaceans use sounds for healing themselves became more obvious and it’s actually the basis of new healing process: The Cetosonotherapy.
STÉPHANIE
CHANVALLON.
“Very early in my life, I was fascinated by the underwater world and wildlife, so I became a diving instructor and developed a diving methodology for blind and deaf people. I was able to research and create the concept of a new fin model for them. To highlight the living diversity around us, I like to organize conferences through my organization “Terres Oceanes” with focus on denouncing captivity. I am also directing underwater movies that became award winning at the World Festival of Underwater Image. As a professional diver in marine ecology and biology, I also participate in several scientific missions.
My encounters with marine mammals made me question myself about the world of interspecies communication. However, it was an extraordinary relationship with a manta ray that led me towards the complexity and the peculiarity of human/animal interactions. I am a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology within the relations about Human and Nature. I dedicated myself to the understanding of human and wild animal interactions, but being taken away by the underwater world, I return there, to the world of USEA projects."
Link to Stephanie’s scientific paper published:
- on Scientific Report (2017):
“Spontaneous approaches of divers by free-ranging orcas."
- on Terrestres (2019)