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Humpback Whale Migration Update: February 28, 2001

Today's Report Includes:

Greetings from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Migration Route of Atlantic Humpback Whales
Map courtesy of MacalesterCollege

Good News this week. We have two reports to share from the wintering grounds of Samana Bay and the Silver Bank near the Dominican Republic! We hope you enjoy reading about some of the activities happening down south in this update.

Direct From Samana Bay!
Samana Bay is a protected area on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Whalewatching regulations were put in place here in 1994 to help protect the mother-calf pairs and social groups from too many boats and dangerous boat drivers. We have a short report to share from Pamela Lamelas, manager of planning and programs for the Center for the Conservation and Eco-development of Samana Bay (CEBSE) and its surroundings.This area is both beautiful and rich in history. The Samana Bay/CEBSE Web site notes that:

"The presence of whales in Samana Bay has been recorded historically with pictographs left by indigenous peoples on cave walls, in Los Haitises National Park and written records beginning with the ship's log of Christopher Columbus in January 1493."

A SEA Semester
The second entry comes from a college student who is on a two-month voyage as part of the Sea Education Association SEA Semester program. Sarah Aili Farquahar and 24 other students left Miami a couple of weeks ago and have landed in Samana Bay.They will soon head out to Silver Bank, another humpback whale sanctuary of the Dominican Republic (and the sister sanctuary to Stellwagen Bank) as their voyage continues.

As you can see from these reports, the whales are calving in the southern waters, and social groups are bringing potential mates together.

Samana Bay Whale Sparks Curiosity
"The reports we have from our volunteers is that they have seen mothers and calves only four times during the season (as of February 24). We have had some very curious and active juveniles, and in some occasions, big interesting active groups. The only unusual behavior noticed was that of a female who was seen resting for a very long time at the surface, and alone.Everybody was worried, thinking that maybe she was sick. But suddenly, she decided to become more active (reasons unknown). Whalewatching regulations and enforcement are going really well, and the patrols from the Protected Areas Department are doing a fine job at keeping the whales safe."

Challenge Question #8:
"Why do you think the whale was seen for such a long time at the surface, as was reported by Patricia Lamelas?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Sarah the Sailor Shares Stories

Photo courtesy SEA

"Hello from Samana Bay! I'm Sarah Aili Farquhar, a student on a two-month voyage as part of the Sea Education Association semester-at-sea program. Our ship, the SSV Corwith Cramer is anchored in the bay until tomorrow, when we will be heading north towards Silver Bank. Stay tuned for my reports from the wintering grounds this spring."

You can read all of Sarah's fascinating report then come back and try to answer this:

Challenge Question #9:
"Locate and give a geographical description of the Sargasso Sea. Can you find some facts that make this an unusual place in the ocean?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Next report I'll have more information about the SEA cruise and additional reports of humpback whale sightings. This is Anne Smrcina, education coordinator of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary signing off.

An "Eco-Tourist's" Poetic Journal from Silver Bank

Photo courtesy Leslie Rapp

Every so often Journey North receives unexpected gifts from our readers. Recently we have been in communication with a whale lover seeking that first-hand experience we all wish for! Gale is a whale lover, and you can tell from her journal entries that she is also a poet! She spent a week anchored at the North West end of the Silver Bank aboard a 95-foot catamaran. Her group had been given permission to float with the whales on the ledge. They went out in small inflatable boats called zodiacs. Often the group would come up close to mother and calf pairs.

What's in a Name? Discussion of Challenge Question #5
"How do humpback whale researchers select the names for these whales? What do you think are their whale naming rules?"

Anne writes, Individual humpbacks are identified by the black and white pigmentation patterns and scars on the underside of their flukes (tails), and the distinctive scalloped edge, called the trailing edge of the flukes. When humpbacks dive, they raise their flukes above the water's surface and provide researchers with the opportunity to photograph the markings on the underside or ventral surface. Photographs of these natural markings have allowed researchers to monitor the movements, health and behavior of individual humpbacks since this research began in the early 1970s.

Thanks once again to the thoughtful answers from the seventh grade whale experts at Iselin Middle School!

UFO or Whale Songs?: Discussion of Challenge Question #6
Last update we shared two different humpback songs. It was fun to listen to the strange and beautiful sounds. Jessica had some funny thoughts about both songs. This is what she shared:

"Song A is beautiful. Song B is very unique! Song A just sounds like a whaleto me! Song B sounds like a UFO is flying by or something like! They are bothneat!"

The Purpose of Whale Songs: Some Thoughts About CQ #7
Sometimes our students sound like the experts. Such is the case with another group of researchers at the Iselin Middle School. This is their answer, "Whale sounds are for mating, calling their young, and communication. The whales have many different pitches for mating, and each male has a different song. The whales repeat these songs over and over to get the females attention. For communication, the whales also use different pitches in their songs. The young can tell who their parents are by learning their parents call.

How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:

IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-hwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #8 (or #9)
3. In the body of your message, answer the question above.

The Next Humpback Whale Migration Update will Be Posted on March 7, 2001.

Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form

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