Ottawa biologist's whale tale earns an Emmy

When renowned marine wildlife photographer Brian Skerry first approached biologist Shane Gero for a National Geographic article about sperm whales four years ago, Gero knew there was an even bigger tale to be told.

Gero, a scientist in residence and adjunct professor at Ottawa's Carleton University, founded the Dominica Sperm Whale Project in 2005, and had for more than a decade been studying the mammoth mammals in the eastern Caribbean Sea.

He wanted to show Skerry how these whales had their own culture, their own dialect and their own local customs that set them apart from other clans and families, just like we do.

"When you spend a lot of time with them, you realize that … their values are very similar to ours," Skerry said in an interview with CBC. "My conversations with Brian made it clear that there's a bigger story."

Those conversations led to a four-part series on Disney+ called Secrets of the Whales. Earlier this month, the series, produced by James Cameron and narrated by Sigourney Weaver, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

Gero, an Ottawa native who attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute, figures prominently in the fourth episode, which focuses on sperm whales around the world, including those off the coast of Dominica. He also provided expert advice behind the scenes, editing scripts and interpreting footage for the documentary's producers.

Due to COVID-19, he was unable to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles, and never worked directly with either Cameron or Weaver. Nor did he receive his own Emmy statuette, which go only to a short list of senior producers.