SEABIRDS AND WHALES

Board the Prince of Whalesin Newburyport, MA for a four hour birding and whale watching trip guided by Newburyport Whale Watch marine mammal naturalists and Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center staff.

This trip focuses on seabirds, but we also plan on seeing and learning about marine mammals as well. Onboard the Prince of Whales, we will look for concentrations of birds such as storm-petrels, shearwaters, gannets, jaegers, terns, and phalaropes.

Dave Larson from the Joppa Flats Education Center will join the Prince of Whales marine mammal naturalists onboard to help spot and narrate bird sightings.
Where To Meet: Meet on the boardwalk off Merrimack Street in downtown Newburyport. Wear rubber-soled shoes, a hat, and sunglasses. Bring warm clothing, sunscreen, and your camera. The Prince of Whales has a well-stocked galley. No alcohol may be brought onboard.

Fee: Adults $45. Children ages 4 and up $37. Seniors receive a $5 discount.

Preregistration: Preregistration is required.You can preregister by calling Newburyport Whale Watch at 1-800-848-1111.

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Commercial fisherman Billy Trainer from Falmouth, Maine, observed a killer whale following his trawler in April 2010 while ground fishing on Georges Bank, approximately 100 miles off the Massachusetts coast. The killer whale hung around the fishing boat for about an hour.

Here is a link to an article describing the killer whale sighting that was published in the Portland Press Herald. The article includes a photograph taken by Captain Trainer of the killer whale.

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It took the rescue team about an  hour to cut away and remove the fishing lines and buoys that were entangled with the whale.

You can read her report by visiting the CapeCodOnline.com website.

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It is believed that the abundance of the rich zoo-plankton mix in the Cape waters, including both winter and spring types of zoo-plankton that are in the local waters right now, are a driving force for how long the whales will remain in the area.

The article reports that the increase in the number of whales seen in Cape Cod Bay waters also coincides with a record number of right whale calf births this year (39). The calves were born in waters off the states of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

For more information, read the complete article by Mary Ann Bragg, on CapeCodOnline.com.

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In what could be great news for the upcoming whale watching season for local whale watchers and whale watch operators, such as Newburyport-based Newburyport Whale Watch,  record numbers of the North Atlantic right whale have been reported to be in the waters of Cape Cod Bay.

An online article on the Provincetown Banner website reports that the North Atlantic right whale, one of the world’s most endangered species, have returned to Cape Cod Bay as part of their annual migration.

The article reports that record numbers of North Atlantic right whales have been reported in Cape Cod Bay this month. In the article, Dr. Charles “Stormy” Mayo, director of right whale research at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, states that the current number of whale calves born this year is already over 35, the highest figure ever confirmed.

He also reports that more than 60 right whales are believed to be feeding in local waters of Cape Cod Bay right now.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) now estimates the worldwide population to be around 325.

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When

The Whale Center of New England, Gloucester, MA is having its annual Earth Day Whale Watch on Saturday, May 2nd. The whale watch also marks the start of the center’s 2009 field season.

The annual whale watching trip is a fundraiser for The Whale Center of New England. All proceeds from the trip are used for the center’s whale research and conservation programs. Chief Scientist, Mason Weinrich, and Database Manager, Jenn Tackaberry, will lead this year’s trip.

Last year’s trip was great with lots of activity, including an impressive breaching and lob-tailing display from the humpback whale, Springboard.

There are already dozens of feeding humpbacks on Stellwagen Bank. The Whale Center of New England is expecting this to be a great trip and a great kick-off to the 2009 season. The trip departs from Gloucester, Massachusetts, and is scheduled to run from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Tickets

The trip costs $55 per person for Whale Center Members ($65 for nonmembers) and $45 for children under 12 (that’s only $20 more than a regular half-day whale watch, for well over twice the viewing time).

All proceeds go to the Whale Center of New England’s whale research and conservation programs.

You can join the Whale Center when you make your reservation and get the member price for the cruise.

Free hot drinks (coffee, tea, and hot chocolate) will be provided for the entire day to keep you warm. We suggest that you dress warmly. The large cabin on the vessel provides ample cover from the elements, and there will be a full galley on board if you choose not to bring lunch.
To make reservations for the Earth Day Whale Watch or for more information, please call the Whale Center of New England’s office at 978-281-6351 or e-mail them at info@whalecenter.org.

Space is limited, so make your reservations early.

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Dr. Leeney, who joined the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies last year as an aerial survey observer, has technical and field experience with marine mammals. Her work has included photo identification, field deployment and execution of aerial surveys.

The Center for Coastal Studies’ right whale aerial survey program, which operates out of Chatham Airport, is conducted from January through May with money from the state Division of Marine Fisheries and a federal permit from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Cape Cod Bay serves as a critical habitat for the whales, which number about 300 to 400 in the world.

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The regulations require the Navy to implement measures designed to protect and minimize effects to marine mammals.

Along with issuing these regulations, NOAA will undertake a comprehensive review of all mitigation measures applicable to the use of sonar and will report to the Council on Environmental Quality regarding the results of this review within 120 days.

Regulations To Be In Effect For Five Years

These regulations, in effect for five years, govern the incidental take of marine mammals during the Navy’s training activities, include required mitigation and monitoring measures, and require annual letters of authorization.

The letters of authorization, which are required for the Navy to legally conduct their activities, provide the Navy with the terms and conditions of the marine mammal mitigation measures, and requires annual reports, and Navy review of their activities to show they do not result in more numerous effects or more severe harm to marine mammals than were originally analyzed or authorized.

The Navy requested authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act because the mid-frequency sound generated by tactical active sonar may affect the behavior of some marine mammals or cause a temporary loss of their hearing.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service does not expect the exercises to result in serious injury or death to marine mammals and is requiring the Navy to use mitigation measures intended to avoid injury or death. However, in a small number of cases, exposure to sonar in certain circumstances has been associated with the stranding of some marine mammals, and some injury or death potentially could occur despite the best efforts of the Navy. Therefore, the regulations and the letter allow for a small number of incidental injuries to marine mammals.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service has determined that these effects would have a negligible impact on the species or stocks involved.

Under the regulations and the letter, the Navy must follow mitigation measures to minimize effects on marine mammals, including:

• establishing marine mammal safety zones around each vessel using sonar, and using Navy observers to shut down sonar operations if marine mammals are seen within these designated safety zones;

• implementing a stranding response plan that includes a training shutdown provision in certain circumstances (with special circumstances for North Atlantic right whales) and a memorandum of agreement to allow the Navy to contribute in-kind services to NOAA’s Fisheries Service if the agency has to conduct a stranding response and investigation;

• minimizing helicopter dipping sonar and object detection exercises in the North Atlantic right whale critical habitat in the southeast Atlantic Ocean from December through March;

• using several cautionary measures to minimize impacts from torpedo exercises conducted in the North Atlantic right whale critical habitat in the northeast Atlantic Ocean;

• using designated planning awareness areas to raise awareness of Navy personnel and lessen impacts in designated productive marine mammal habitat;

• using several cautionary measures to minimize the likelihood of ship strikes of North Atlantic right whales.

These measures should minimize the potential for injury or death and significantly reduce the number of marine mammals exposed to levels of sound likely to cause temporary loss of hearing.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the Navy worked to develop a robust monitoring plan to use independent, trained and experienced aerial and vessel-based marine mammal observers (as well as Navy watch standers) and passive acoustic monitoring to help better understand how marine mammals respond to various levels of sound and to assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures. The implementation of this monitoring plan is included as a requirement of the regulations and the letter.

The Navy has been conducting training exercises, including the use of mid-frequency sonar, in the Atlantic Ocean for more than 40 years. Exercises range from large, three week-long strike group training exercises using multiple submarines, ships and aircraft to two-to-three-day unit level training, consisting of several multi-hour exercises designed to target specific skills or weapons systems, such as object detection or helicopter dipping sonar.

For more information, you can read the complete press release online at the NOAA website.

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An article by Andea Holbrook in the Gloucester Daily Times provides an account of the blue whale sighting.

The adult blue whale, which was estimated to be between 70 to 80 feet long, was sighted approximately 15 miles off the Gloucester coast in an area where whale watch boats usually don’t go.

Researchers believe that the blue whale, which was observed for approximately 45 minutes, was feeding as it was seen in the same area as about a dozen humpback whales, which were also feeding.

Blue whales are endangered and generally occupy colder waters than those found off New England; they are usually found further to the north of New England and in the waters off Iceland, Norway and northern Canada.

According to Ms. Holbrook’s article, the first recorded sighting of a blue whale off New England occurred in 1981. Last fall, three different blue whales were observed off the Maine and New Hampshire coast. 

For more information, read the article by Andea Holbrook in the Gloucester Daily Times and/or visit the Whale Center of New England website.

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There were two interesting albino whale sightings in the news this week. Actually, we should correct that statement and set it straight as the whale shark is not actually a whale, but a fish – the world’s largest fish. The other creature was indeed a whale – an albino Southern Right Whale.

Both creatures are believed to be white because of a lack of pigmentation in their skin but they are expected to gradually turn to a darker colour as the years go by.

Whale Sharks, according to the Whale Shark Project website, have a circumglobal distribution in tropical and warm temperate seas and are typically found in areas of high plankton productivity. They are present mainly between latitudes 30° N and 35° S, but have been sighted as far North as New York on the US East coast and as far South as Tasmania. (Note: I couldn’t document or verify any whale shark sightings in New England waters ~ Mark Bransfield)

Do you know the name of the second largest fish in the world? It is the basking shark, a plankton eating, filter-feeding shark that is often seen in the coastal waters of New England.

Albino Whale Shark Sighted in Waters off Coast of Darwin, an Island in the Galapagos group

An article by Richard Shears in the online edition of the British newspaper, The Daily Mail, has a fascinating description and photographs of an encounter by a group of divers with a 33-ft albino whale shark in the waters off the coast of Darwin, an island in the Galapagos group.

Here is a photograph of the albino whale shark (Copyright: Barcroft Media).

The divers had the incredible luck of watching and photographing this rare and graceful creature for approximately 30 minutes as it glided through the waters near them. The female whale shark, believed to be the only one of its kind, was first spotted by diver and naturalist Antonio Moreano in the Galapagos islands when he took a group of tourists on a nature cruise.

Visit Mr. Shears online article for all of the details of the sighting.

A Rare Albino Southern Right Whale Calf SIghted in Waters off Western Australia

The article by Mr. Shears inThe Daily Mailalso describes a sighting of a rare, snow-white albino Southern Right whale calf in the waters off western Australia. The whale which has become a tourist attraction is believed to be one of only ten in the world.


Here is a photograph of the albino Southern Right Whale calf (Copyright: Barcroft Media):

                                       Albino Southern Right Whale Calf

Visit Mr. Shears online article for all of the details of the sighting.

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