Matthew Van der Maelen
Norwich,CT
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Trainer - Belugas
Mystic Aquarium
10.2022 - Current
- Planned daily training and enrichment sessions to accomplish husbandry and staff goals in accordance with established guidelines for animal welfare.
- Created and implemented new procedures for daily operations including husbandry behavior tracking and USDA compliance.
- Mentored and facilitated development of other ACPNW staff and interns in animal training, execution of goals, and career progression.
- Maintained consistent records and communicated with other departments, including Veterinary Staff and Life Support Systems, to ensure animal and habitat health in accordance with established guidelines.
Watch Section Supervisor, Dive Supervisor
SAIC
02.2016 - 09.2022
- Supervise daily operations and mentor development of up to 16 employees to ensure operational objectives of Navy Marine Mammal Program SISS are met.
- Develop and oversee implementation of training and management plans for night shift's common bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions.
- Supervise SCUBA diving stations to ensure following of proper safety protocols and completion of mission objectives.
- Maintain animal diets under supervision using weekly animal weights.
- Schedule logistics and transport of animals for veterinary procedures, post-procedure care, and site evacuations under supervision.
Biological Scientist 1, Volunteer (2014-2022)
Florida Fish And Wildlife Marine Mammal Laboratories
06.2016 - 07.2017
- Maintain on-call readiness in multi-county area responding to marine mammal stranding, carcass recovery, or reported distress.
- Write necropsy reports, marine mammal stranding reports (Level A data), and NRT reports.
- Function on a team for marine mammal rescues and/or transports of manatees, cetaceans, and sea turtles.
- Maintain FWC trucks, vessels, trailers, and equipment through repairs, preventative maintenance, scheduling of regular servicing, and the purchase or restocking of supplies.
Team Leader, Instructor, Boat Captain
Eckerd College Search and Rescue
08.2011 - 08.2015
- Piloted maritime vessels 18-32 feet in length in technical rescue operations such as towing, medical response, or firefighting/dewatering for over 650 hours of technical rescue operation.
- Coordinated maintenance and repair of team's fleet of vessels.
- Monitored off water relationships and well-being of team members.
- Designed and implemented training sessions for all levels and ratings of team members.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Marine Science (Biology Track)
Eckerd College
St. Petersburg05.2015
Skills
- MS Office suite proficiency
- Florida/Georgia Safe Boating License
- Scuba Diving International (SDI) Instructor
- 100% Oxygen Closed Circuit Rebreather
- Diver's Alert Network CPR/AED certification
- DoD Secret Level Security Clearance
Timeline
Senior Trainer - Belugas
Mystic Aquarium
10.2022 - Current
Biological Scientist 1, Volunteer (2014-2022)
Florida Fish And Wildlife Marine Mammal Laboratories
06.2016 - 07.2017
Watch Section Supervisor, Dive Supervisor
SAIC
02.2016 - 09.2022
Team Leader, Instructor, Boat Captain
Eckerd College Search and Rescue
08.2011 - 08.2015
Bachelor of Science - Marine Science (Biology Track)
Eckerd College
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