Dorete Bloch
Tombstone with the names Hans Olavus Lisberg Danielsen and Dorete Bloch Danielsen and with the life data of both.
Tombstone of Bloch and her husband
Born(1943-06-14)14 June 1943
Rungsted, Hoersholm, Denmark
Died28 February 2015(2015-02-28) (aged 71)
Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark
Alma materAarhus University
University of Lund
SpouseÓlávus Danielsen
ChildrenJónas Bloch Danielsen, Jóannis Bloch Danielsen
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of the Faroe Islands
ThesisPilot Whales in the North Atlantic: Age, Growth and Social Structure in Faroese Grinds of the Long-Finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas (1994)

Dorete Bloch, married name Dorete Bloch Danielsen, (14 June 1943 in Rungsted – 28 February 2015 in Tórshavn) was a Danish zoologist, former director of Náttúrugripasavnið (the Faroes Natural History Museum), editor of Fróðskaparrit and author of numerous books on the animals and plants of the Faroe Islands. Bloch was born in Rungsted but moved to the Faroe Islands in 1974, where she remained for the rest of her life. She published studies on pilot whales, gaining a D.Phil in their study in 1991, covering aspects such as their migration patterns, diving behaviour and their importance on Faroese society.

Career

Dorete Bloch was born in Rungsted and attended Viborg Katedralskole until 1962 and then Aarhus University. After graduating in 1970 with an MSc in zoology, she worked at the university's Wildlife Research Station at Kalø, where she conducted research into hares and mute swans.[1]

On 15 October 1974 she moved to the Faroe Islands, where she settled for the rest of her life.[2] She was appointed a lecturer at the University of the Faroe Islands.[3] In 1980, she was promoted to be the director of the zoology department. She was awarded a D.Phil. by the University of Lund in 1994 for her thesis Pilot Whales in the North Atlantic. Age, Growth and Social Structure in Faroese Grinds of the Long-Finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas. In 1995, she was made director of the Faroe Natural History Museum, a position she held until 2009.[4] At the same time, from 2001, she was appointed as a professor of zoology at the University of the Faroe Islands.[5] She was also editor of the journal Fróðskaparrit.[4]

Bloch's research has involved various Faroese animals, including bottlenose whales and mountain hares.[6] Much of her work has been into pilot whales, covering aspects of their behaviour and their impact on Faroese society.[7][8] Between 2000 and 2004, she was part of a project using tagged long-finned pilot whales to track their movements via satellite.[9]

She has assisted in studies of birds of the islands and was bird consultant for Vágar Airport.[4][1] Her interests are not restricted to animals. Amongst her publications are also descriptions of the flowers of the Faroe Islands, which was called a "labour of love". Her writing was described as "lively and imaginative.[10]

Private life

Bloch married Ólávus Danielsen (1927–1997). They lived in Velbastaður, in Tórshavn Municipality and had one son, Jónas Bloch Danielsen, a musician who established Studio Bloch on the harbour in Tórshavn, the first recording studio in the islands.[11] Bloch died on 28 February 2015.[12]

Selected bibliography

Bloch wrote extensively on pilot whaling in the Faroes,[13] Her works include:

Other publications include:

Awards

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Bengtson et al. 2010, p. 13.
  2. ^ Bengtson et al. 2010, p. 15.
  3. ^ a b Samuelsen, Ingi (1 March 2015). "Andlát: Dorete Bloch farin". portal.fo (in Faroese). Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Boertmann 1994, p. 9.
  5. ^ Bengtsson, Sven-Axel; Enckell, Pehr H; Rundgren, Sten (31 March 2015). "Dorete Bloch". Sydsvenskan. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017.
  6. ^ Bengtson et al. 2010, p. 14.
  7. ^ Misfeldt, Mai, "On Pernille Kløvedal Helweg's Field Printing Practice: From the exhibition Whales & Wild Animal's Field Prints at Vejle Kunstmuseum, Fuglsang Kunstmuseum, Kunsten in Aarhus, Stavanger Kunstmuseum and at Nordic House and Steinprent in Thorshavn, 2011-2012", PernilleKløvedalHelweg.dk, archived from the original on 17 October 2021
  8. ^ Bloch, Dorete; Heide‐Jørgensen, Mads Peter; Stefansson, Eyðfinnur; Mikkelsen, Bjarni; Ofstad, Lise Helen; Dietz, Rune; Andersen, Liselotte Wesley (2003). "Short‐term movements of long‐finned pilot whales Globicephala melas around the Faroe Islands". Wildlife Biology. 9 (1): 47. doi:10.2981/wlb.2003.007. S2CID 90529335.
  9. ^ Joensen 2009, pp. 32.
  10. ^ Brønner 1982, p. 81.
  11. ^ Cannady 2021, p. 60.
  12. ^ NAMMCO Annual Report 2015:Report of the 22nd Scientific Committee Meeting (PDF) (Report). p. 183. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2020.
  13. ^ Joensen 2009, pp. 257.
  14. ^ "Dorete Bloch heiðrað fyri framúr góða almenna miðling". Gransking.fo (in Faroese). 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2017.

Sources

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