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Gray Whale Migration Update: March 20, 2002

Today's Report Includes:

Gray Whale Migration Route
(Click on face of map)

Migration Highlights Along the Pacific Coast
People are spotting adult and juvenile whales plowing north from California to Canada, and northbound cows with calves have been reported in Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary! Here are highlights reported by our observers from the north to the south:

Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centres in Tofino and Ucluelet, B.C. reports great sightings throughout the last two weeks when the weather allowed, which was most of March 4 through the 14th. Then, just as the Pacific Rim Whale Festival got underway on March 16th, Jamie says, "our weather decided to take a turn for the worse and the wind had the fleet tied to the dock for a couple of days. On March 18th it snowed in Tofino and Ucluelet! We don't normally get the white stuff here, especially at this time of year. Well, with the snow came calmer winds and away the boats went in search of the Gray Whales. Yes, even in snow we can spot these wonderful creatures, and spot them we did! Lots of migrating whales on March 18. The Gray Whales are coming right into Barkley Sound from our Ucluelet Station. In fact, they are feeding in the same areas as they do in the summer. Maybe our 'Summer Residents' have taken up early residency! From the windy West Coast, Cheers from Jamie."

Capt. Geoff Grillo of Advantage Sport Fishing in Westport, Washington writes: "I've been crab fishing all winter and have seen the gray whales going south and now back to the north. There were many northbound whales in late February. The numbers are a bit hard to determine but have increased through the first couple weeks of March."

The ACS Census at Long Point, CA (33.74 N, 118.39 W) reports a season-to-date total of 328 northbound whales as of March 18. They've seen no cow/calf pairs heading north yet, but that's not unusual. How do the numbers look for the past two weeks? Are whales still heading south? On which two dates were the most northbound whales counted? Find out here:

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Santa Barbara

And farther south at Santa Barbara, CA, volunteers at Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary are seeing cows and calves! On March 12 watchers aboard the DOUBLE DOLPHIN reported seeing a mother and calf amid a large pod of Common Dolphins. On March 9 they saw a gray whale juvenile heading west at 4-5 knots (34 23.287 N 119 42.97 W), and most of the other grays seen were estimated to be swimming at 3-5 knots. Whale watchers aboard the CONDOR saw gray whales in groups of 1 to 4. They also saw an adult female with calf on March 14 (34 24.633 N 119 41.451 W). Observers aboard the SUNSET KIDD also saw many common dolphins swimming among the whales. They saw an adult with calf heading west at 3-4 knots on March 8; the pair traveled in close proximity and dove in tandem. On March 9 another adult with calf was heading west at 3-5 knots. March 10 brought sightings of two adults with one calf, heading west at 3-5 knots, and March 11 two adults with one calf, heading west. It looks like the cows and calves are underway, and everyone is waiting for their turn to see them!

How Far Offshore?

Click on photo to enlarge. Then answer Challenge Question #9!
Photo Mike & Winston

Whale watchers have their own lingo. If a whale-watcher calls 'BLOW, 300 degrees at 45 mil,' what does that mean? Mike gives you a fun lesson on whale watcher's lingo at the link below -- including a challenge to use what you learn. Check it out:

Then come back and answer the question below. Tips: Find the spout in the photo, read the compass degrees, and count the mils. Then use the chart in the lesson above to find the distance.

Challenge Question #9:
"Pretend you're the whale watcher and fill in these blanks for the whale spout you see in the binoculars view (see photo on Web): BLOW! ____ degrees at ___ mil. The whale is ___ miles (____ kilometers) offshore."

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

Cows and Calves with Wayne Perryman
gwhale_Expert0202

Biologist Wayne Perryman

For the 9th year in a row, Wayne Perryman has towed an Airstream trailer onto the pad, set up the 25X binoculars and welcomed his watch team at Point Piedras Blancas, CA (35.40N, 121.17 W.). Wayne is a biologist at NOAA's Southwest Science Center and the government's main specialist on calf birth rates. One of his duties is to count the mother/calf pairs when they start the journey north. He told us, "We won't start counting whales officially until March 18 at 0630, but I have seen a lot of adults and juveniles passing the point. That means that the adult/juvenile phase of the migration is still underway and we are starting early enough to get the beginning of the cow/calf migration."

Mr. Perryman and a few partners will watch for cow/calf pairs 12 hours a day, 6 days a week until early June. This is an important study: "The work that I am doing is directed at monitoring calf production for the eastern Pacific population of gray whales. This population was removed from the List of Endangered Species in 1994 and one of the agreements associated with that decision was to monitor reproduction in gray whales over a 5-year period. But because we have seen much wider fluctuations in the number of calves than we expected, we have extended the study." In 2001, the total calves counted stood at 66 on May 15, the lowest count by that date in the 8 years of surveys from Piedras Blancas. The good news was that strandings of were down from the alarming 274 dead gray whales counted in 1999, the majority of which were thin and starved-looking. Wayne says, "Clearly calf production has not recovered to the levels that we saw in 1996-1998 when total calves for the season were closer to 500. Maybe we will have better luck in 2002." We'll find out as Wayne Perryman sends us his reports in the coming weeks. Is calf production still low? If so, why? Why is calf production lower in some years than in others? What reasons might account for changes in numbers of calves born each year? What things might result in a low number of births? So many questions! Wayne Perryman is trying to find the answers.

You're the Scientist: Photogrammetry

What inferences can you make to account for the differences in these whales? Photo W. Perryman

Now it's your turn to join Wayne Perryman in thinking like a scientist. He shares some of his research and questions in this report and the next. He reminds us: "If the number of calves born fluctuates, that's a RESULT." Now he and his colleagues are gathering data, looking for causes and connections. One of their techniques is called photogrammetry, and Wayne is in charge. He flies over the ocean in a twin-engine plane during migration and uses a special camera to take photos of the moving whales. Wayne explains: "A computer tells the camera how high you are and how fast you're flying, and moves the film the same speed your image at the ground is traveling. So every time you take a picture, it's as if you're standing still." Such photos let them study the living whales. He uses the photos to get information about the condition of the whales, going beyond the size to look at the shape. He has focused his research on female gray whales, believing that the condition of the females may tip scientists to future problems with he entire population.

Next time we'll tell and show you more, but this week's challenge is to practice thinking like you are Wayne Perryman. Examine the two aerial photographs below. Think like a scientist as you answer:

Challenge Question #10:
"Describe how the whales in these photos are different. What inferences can you make to account for the differences? List as many as you can think of."

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

Spring Training: Response to Challenge Question #8
"If 1 knot is 1 nautical mile per hour and a nautical mile is 1.15 statute miles, how fast is the tidal current in San Ignacio?" Congratulations to Kate in grade 6 at Ferrisburgh (Vermont) Central School for her correct answer: "If the tidal current is 2.5 knots, it's 2.875 statute miles per hour in San Ignacio Lagoon."

You may not think that sounds like such a strong current, but try swimming against it day after day and you'll build muscles! That's what the baby whales do in "spring training." Read on for a great field report that tells more.

Field Report from Magdalena Bay: Spring Training
Captain Leslie Hines of Kenai Fjords Tours usually reports on whale sightings in Seward, Alaska (60.05N, 149.43W). But lucky Leslie recently vacationed in Mexico and got to see gray whales at the other end of the migration trail. After her exciting trip to Baja, she says, "Now we are looking forward to seeing Gray Whales in Resurrection Bay. I will let you know when the first whales are spotted here!" Leslie shares this exciting news -- and a question:

"We went to Magdalena Bay at Puerto Lopez Mateo. The day we went out there was a strong current moving out of the bay. We left the dock and motored out so we were just inside the reef where you could see breaking waves and surf. From there we basically motored to stay in place going into the current. There were at least 100 whales! They were doing the same thing we were, moving into the current to maintain position. This must be extremely hard work for the new born whales. They should be in great shape to make the journey north after all the work in the fast currents. We saw many young whales -- tiny compared to what we see in Alaska. Generally the skin of the younger ones seemed clearer than the adults, but not always. Some appeared scarred and to already have barnacles. I always thought barnacles could be an indication of age; however seeing the young whales with barnacles made me question this. What do you think?"


Babies and Barnacles: Challenge Question #11

Look for the barnacles around the blowhole.

As you think about Captain Leslie's question, look carefully at the photo of this calf. Do you see the barnacles encrusted at the edge of the blowhole? Whale tour leader Keith "Baja" Jones took the photo and told us: "There is a correlation between how many barnacles the mother has and how many the baby carries. The more barnacles on Mom, more on Baby. When you see babies playing and laying on top of the mother whales, you can see that the mothers' barnacles scratch the babies' skin."

Challenge Question #11:
"What are some possible explanations for the number of barnacles on the babies? How could you find out more?"

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

A Peek at Peaks: Another Chance at Challenge Question #6
Has the northbound migration peaked yet? ACS volunteers Mike and Winston say, "I think (and I hope) we have not yet seen the peak of the northbound migration, although for the past week it has been very difficult to spot and count the whales. The strong winds disperse the whales' blows very quickly, and all the choppy white caps make the ocean look like it's just full of whale blows."

The peak week, on average, occurs anywhere from the last week of February to the last week of March. The average peak day over all years has been on March 18. We'll stay tuned, and we'll give you more time for answering this question from our last report:

Challenge Question #6:
"Using ACS Census data, what date was the peak southbound migration for this season? [The peak of the southbound migration is defined as the date when 50% of the whale sightings had been recorded at a research site.] What date do you predict for the peak northbound migration? What date do you predict for the cow/calf peak?"

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

TIP: You can keep up with the daily gray whale census counts for yourself (great for graphing!) on the ACS Web site:

Swimming in Order: Response to Challenge Question #7
Last time we talked about the order the whales leave the lagoons and head north: newly pregnant females along with other adults, followed by juveniles, with cows and calves coming last. We asked: "In what order do you think southward migration takes place? Explain your reasoning."

Traveling south, the pregnant females are in a rush to reach the warm birthing lagoons of Mexico before they give birth, so pregnant females lead the way. They are followed by mature males and females who will be mating, and then the juveniles (whales up to 8 years of age that are not yet breeding). This order is opposite of how the whales leave the lagoons and head north.

Migration Celebrations
The migration is an exciting event marked by celebrations all along the gray whale trail. If you live near Santa Barbara, CA or near Kodiak, AK, enjoy these -- or visit their web sites if you can't attend:

1. The 8th annual Santa Barbara Whale Festival is Saturday and Sunday, March 23-24, 2002.

2. Whale Fest Kodiak is April 12-22 this year.

Whale Fest Kodiak is a community celebration about whales and other marine mammals, timed to coincide with the annual northbound migration of the gray whales as they pass Kodiak Island. Susan Payne is an official JN observer in Kodiak. She writes: "The Whale Fest Whale Alert program is officially underway with the sightings on Thursday, March 14 of five killer whales in the Kodiak Harbor. Between 0800 and 1300 we know they took 2 sea lions. They are the transient killer whales we always see in the harbor around now. They are back in the harbor this morning, March 18! We will try to get pictures or video on the web sometime soon." Watch the Whale Fest web site, and think about your answer for this:

Challenge Question #12:
"Why do you think killer whales appear at this time of year in Kodiak Harbor?"

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

Ask the Expert Opens March 22
Your class is invited to pose questions to Wayne Perryman of NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Even as he conducts the all-important cow/calf count from a trailer on Pt. Piedras Blancas, Mr. Perryman will generously volunteer his time to answer your questions and share his firsthand knowledge about the gray whales. What do you want to know?

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-gwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #9 (OR #10, OR #11, OR #12)
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above.

The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 3, 2002.

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