Canadian Conservation Corps members Eveline Hipson and Elizabeth Wile founded SculptShore with the incentive of establishing a creative and engaging way to educate and inspire individuals to join North Atlantic Right Whale conservation initiatives. They partnered with local Nova Scotia artists Bernd and Nicole Krebes to create a life sized Right Whale sculpture.

Based on a Right Whale Calf, the life sized 6 meter long sculpture has been empowering communities through education and action by finding solutions directly associated with the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. The sculpture has traveled over 3500km to 15 ocean based events within 2 maritime provinces, including 2 ocean-week Canada events. located on the Dartmouth and Halifax waterfronts. The sculpture is also hollow to have the ability to collect debris during organized cleanups.

Events aim to find solutions that the endangered species face. The three largest factors impacting the North Atlantic Right Whale include ocean plastics, ship strikes and entanglements by fishing gear.

“As a Maritimer growing up on the Bay of Fundy, I have always had a strong connection to the ocean, and in a way these whales and I share that connection.”

— Elizabeth Wile, Co-Founder

1,500 pounds of marine debris has been removed from the Atlantic’s aquatic environment since sculptshore’s start.

50,000 people have interacted with the project

#Followthewhale

YOUR BRAND

Take a minute to write an introduction that is short, sweet, and to the point.

The North Atlantic Right Whale is one of the world’s most endangered whale species, with an estimated population of 350 individuals. Commercial whalers had hunted the whales to near extinction by the early 1900’s . Over a century later, The North Atlantic Right Whale has yet to recover due to obstacles such as bycatch, vessel strikes and ocean noise.

Discover More with NOAA Fisheries

Elizabeth Wile

CO-FOUNDER
Elizabeth went to Dalhousie University for Technical Theatre and went on to have a successful career as a Theatrical Lighting and Sound Technician. Working with theatres such as Neptune, 2B and the Halifax Fringe Festival, before leaving Nova Scotia to work for Disney Cruise Lines.
Growing up, she lived in many towns across the province, but the ocean is always where she felt the most at home.
Eveline Hipson

CO-FOUNDER
Eveline grew up in Germany, and her family moved back to Nova Scotia when she was entering grade 7. They often visited Nova Scotia during the summers, though.
She went to Saint Mary’s University for their Bachelor of Environmental Studies program, and graduated in Spring 2021 before applying to the CWF’s Canadian Conservation Corps.
While she was studying at Saint Mary’s, she had the opportunity to participate in a conservation program in Croatia one summer. She also learned to scuba dive there, which gave her a fantastic experience. The ocean is amazing – as are whales – so Project SculptShore is a really exciting project to Eveline.
Snow Cone

Baby Right Whale
The North Atlantic right whale is at high risk for extinction, with their numbers dwindling to less than 350 individuals. It is on track to be the first large whale species to go extinct. With the harsh reality of this endangered species, current marine conservation outreach focuses on heartbreaking stories and disturbing imagery that can leave the audience emotionally exhausted and unable to engage meaningfully in the solutions.