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Gray Whale Migration Update: April 3, 2002

Today's Report Includes:

Gray Whale Migration Route
(Click on face of map)

The Whales are back in Alaska!
"I just wanted to let you know that we had our first confirmed Gray Whale sighting today (3-23-02) at Cape Resurrection!" Reported Capt. Leslie Hines. "The whales were seen from Kenai Fjords Tours' ALASKAN EXPLORER on the first day of our Gray Whale Watch. Great way to start the season!"

Everyone is still waiting for reports of the first whale in the Gulf of Alaska near Kodiak (remember Challenge Question #5?), and there's LOTS of migration news all along the Pacific Coast as the first pulse of the migration slows and the second pulse begins. But first, some hot news from the cold Bering Sea and our friends in Nelson Lagoon School.

Nelson Lagoon Students Share in Exciting Find
Local residents found a strange object washed up on a remote Bering Sea beach after a big storm in January. High tech, stainless steel and plastic, it looked like a mini Alvin. Luckily, a note on the side said finders should call Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego and collect a reward. Students from Nelson Lagoon School and their principal, Mr. Concilus, were on it! It turned out to be a lost whale study/tracking device with a sonar probe and computer for recording or identifying whales as they migrate. Designed to lay on the sea bottom about 285 feet down, it was deployed in 2000. When it's time for the device to "come home," the scientists send an electronic signal to release ballast, and then collect it by ship. PhD student Lisa Munger was sent last year to retrieve the thing -- called an Acoustic Recording Package -- but drove around the Bering Sea and couldn't find it. Last week she came back to extract the computer hard drives and retrieve the acoustical data from the lost-now-found. (The rest of it will now be shipped to California by barge and might be re-deployed next summer.) The lucky Nelson Lagoon sixth graders were involved with taking it apart to access the drives. Wait till you see (and hear) what Nelson Lagoon students and marine ecologist Lisa will share with you in our next report!

Marine Biologist Lisa Munger and Nelson Lagoon Students

Photos John Concilus

Migration Highlights Along the Pacific Coast
Eschrichtius robustus is parading by! Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centres in Tofino and Ucluelet, British Columbia, write: "All of our vessels have reported strong numbers and large groups of Gray Whales heading north. The migration has been very healthy in the last two weeks which of course makes it easier for the skippers to spot the whales as they pass by. With Pacific Rim Whale Festival happening in the last two weeks, there have been lots and lots of families over on the West Coast here watching the whales. The 'WhaleFest' ended March 31, but there are still lots of people here and lots of whales! We have seen a few Cow/Calf pairs in the last few days and expect more over the next few weeks as they start passing our shores. From the warm and sunny West Coast, Cheers from Jamie."

In Oregon, the 24th annual Spring Whale Watch week (March 23 - 30) had super weather, reports Mike Rivers, volunteer coordinator of the Whale Watching Spoken Here program. Calm weather and abundant whales led to lots of whale sightings at 29 locations where volunteers and visitors were stationed. Their "live data" was updated daily on the organization's Web site, with the last day's results posted April 1. (Mike says it will probably be a week or two before all the missing data is filled in.) Last year's Watch Week results of 1,471 whale sightings represent the 8th highest whale count in 14 years of data. What will this year bring? See the results here:

Mike Rivers just returned from a fabulous trip to San Ignacio Lagoon where he got to touch numerous gray whale calves and cows on the OSU Gray Whale Expedition with whale expert Dr. Bruce Mate. Mike says, "Saw a few 'fat' whales in Baja: Bruce Mate thinks they are in great shape and seems to think the undernutrition problem may have passed." [NOTE: more about that later in today's report when we team up with scientist Wayne Perryman to learn more about his work.]

Farther south at Santa Barbara, CA, volunteers at NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary report a lot of whale traffic--including extra-fast swimming gray whales, a slow-travelling mom/calf pair, and lurking orcas. The DOUBLE DOLPHIN had several sightings of single whales heading north, all within 5 miles of greater Santa Barbara, CA. The CONDOR EXPRESS observers saw many spyhopping and breaching grays, and said some of the whales were travelling at unusually fast rates. One pod of 3 adults and a juvenile was going 6 knots! Whale watchers aboard the SUNSET KID, a sailboat, easily heard the whales surfacing. They reported a mom/calf pair travelling at a very slow pace. Folks aboard the RACHEL G twice saw large pods of 6 or 7 animals, all travelling at their normal rate of 3-5 knots.

Baby Whale Sliding Off Mom's Back Photo Mike & Winston

Many cows with calves have been seen off the California coast, but none have yet passed the ACS/Los Angeles census station at Long Point, CA (33.74 N, 118.39 W). As of April 1, they reported a season-to-date total of 511, up from 328 northbound whales two weeks ago. Take a look at the numbers for the past two weeks and for the past week in history over 10 years. How do they compare? Find out here:

Then come back and answer:

Challenge Question #13:
"According to ACS/LA census data, which of the past 10 years had the greatest number of northbound whales? The least? How does that compare with April 1, 2002?"

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

Alisa Schulman-Janiger (ACS/LA census coordinator) says, "The northbound cow/calf migration should be starting soon. We shouldn't blame them for perhaps wanting to linger in the lagoons, after the last 3 calf-poor years. In our past 18 seasons, 5 other seasons (including the last two) had not recorded any calves by today [March 26], and 9 seasons had only tallied 1 or 2. Census work conducted in two lagoons (Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio) during peak periods indicate the presence of many more calves and adults than they have seen in the past 3 seasons."

Logging In With Mike and Winston: Link to Lesson

Mike and Winston Watch Whales

"Volunteering at the gray whale census is not just kicking back at the beach in a chair!" say Mike and Winston. You can "join" the volunteers trying to count whales for the ACS/LS census when you take their new challenge for this week: logging whale sightings like the pros do. Will you be able to identify the blow, print, and snorkeling whales in the photo quiz? Give it a go!

In the Field With Wayne Perryman
Wayne reports from his camp-out on Pt. Piedras Blancas near San Diego as he conducts his annual cow/calf census: "The first two weeks of the survey featured lovely, sunny days and no cow/calf pairs. We did see about 100 adults and juvenile gray whales each day of the first week and about 50 a day during the second week. So, the first phase of the migration is winding down and the second phase, the migration of cows with their calves, is about to start."

When Wayne saw interesting fluctuations in numbers of calves born each year, he knew it was a RESULT. He noted other significant events:

  • High numbers of whales died in strandings in 1999 and 2000, and many whales were thin and undernourished.
  • Calf births hit an alarming low the last two years.
  • Scientists did not see a large number of dead calves in the lagoons or along the beaches, as they would if the babies were being born and then died for some other reason.
  • In 1999 and 2000, some whales appeared skinner than normal.
  • The Bering and Chukchi seas have seen abnormally heavy seasonal ice in recent years.

As a scientist, what would YOU make of all this? How would you investigate? Scientists look for correlations between variables. See some of Wayne's research and look at some of his fascinating outcomes in this lesson:

Then come back and tell us how you'd answer:

Challenge Question #14:
"Do you ever see a year with a long feeding season and a low of number of calves? Do you see a short feeding season followed by a high number of calves? State a hypothesis."

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

How do the Male Whales Count?
All the concern about cows and calves because whenever studying a population, knowing the number of males vs. females is important. We asked Wayne if he considers males in regard to the calf counts and projections. He said, "With gray whales, we can identify adult females if they are pregnant or with a calf. Males aren't so easily identified. In general, no one pays all that much attention to males in studies of mammal populations where males mate with several females. Unless the population is so small that there are problems of adults locating each other to mate, there are enough males to go around."

Who Goes There? Whales Passing in the Night
You can imagine that it's not easy to count whales migrating offshore, night and day, in all kinds of weather. How do scientists do it? During the gray whale winter migration, nighttime surveys of cow-calf pairs are conducted using military thermal sensors. These sensors are sensitive enough to detect the warm "blows" of the animals in the darkness. The information on nighttime migration rates is used to calibrate daytime counts.

Gray Whale Enemy Number One is Lurking
Orcas, the main predators of gray whales, are appearing all along the migration trail just as the whales are heading north. We thought you might be interested in these eye-witness accounts since our last report:

Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary volunteer Eileen wrote, "Yesterday, 3 of the 4 boats out of Santa Barbara did not see any whales all day long. We were on the RACHEL G and we were puzzled since we are in the middle of prime migration time. When we returned home, we found an email from another member of the Sanctuary Naturalist Corps who had spotted a pod of Orcas from shore. It's hard to believe that a 40-foot long animal can hide, but the gray whales certainly did a great job of hiding from us, and from the orcas."

Eric Stirrup of the vessel TENBEARS off Kodiak Island, Alaska hasn't yet seen his first migratory gray whales, but he reports lots of excitement in town over the visit by "Bent Fin" and his harem of killer whales. "They are transients coming to dine on a Sea Lion or two and have been around for at least four years that I'm certain of -- maybe even five or six. Actually had an interesting encounter with him and his girls in December of 2000, while coming back from a deer hunting charter to the other side of Kodiak. Our hunters were packing deer and pitching scraps and fat over the side, feeding the gulls and 'Bent Fin' was right up in the prop wash, keeping pace with us at 12 knots not even breathing hard."

"Captain Heidi" of Sanctuary Cruises in Monterey Bay was headed out to sea when she noted the rare sight of a solitary gray whale, way inside the bay and headed for the beach. Then she saw another. "Not unheard of, but not common either, says Heidi. "Out in the zone where we can expect to see grays crossing the bay in good numbers, we fell in with several and they put on a lovely show. They made steady progress north, but they often rolled sideways, exposing half of their flukes out of the water as well as a pectoral flipper." As the whale-watching cruise headed in, people stretched out in the lounge chairs and laid back in the sun when all of a sudden, Heidi yelled, "ORCAS!!! Killer whales, ahead and left side!" Heidi continues, "Everyone bolted to the rails on both decks. There was a large male, then several females and juveniles and at least one pretty small baby. They had come from the general direction where we'd seen the lone grays earlier, so who knows? They might have been in there, sizing them up for attack. But orcas cruise the bay looking for the baby grays heading north with their moms. Although a few have been spotted south of here, we hadn't seen any gray calves northbound yet. [We did March 26--our first cow/calf pair!] The orcas could easily have spooked the grays, running them off their course and farther inside the bay. Once the killer whales decided there were no easy pickings, they headed offshore again. That's where we connected. We stayed on the orcas' course for a while, then saw they were heading toward the large pod of northbound grays we'd left."

Try This! Transient Orca or Resident Orca?
Mike and Winston sent these photos of male orcas. Males have the very tall dorsal fin, up to 6 feet tall. Mike explains, "Resident orcas feed on fish--but NOT marine mammals. Transient orcas feed on marine mammals. How do you tell the difference? Look at the top of the DORSAL fin. If it is rounded, the orca is a resident. If it is pointed, the orca is a transient." Mike challenges you: Which type of orca do you see in these photos?

Photo Mike & Winston

Photo Mike & Winston

How Far Offshore? Discussion of 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."

Congratulations to Ferrisburgh, Vermont fifth graders Stephen, Joseph, Andrew and Ryan for the correct answer! "BLOW! 287 degrees at 30 mil. The whale is .48 miles (.70 kilometers) offshore."

These lucky students also reported, "We will be going on a whale watch in May." We hope to hear more about that!

You're the Scientist: Discussion of Challenge Question #10
In explaining Wayne Perryman's work with photogrammetry last time, we asked: "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." Iselin Middle School 7th graders Nina, Diana, and Sara studied the photos carefully, as their answers show:

"There are many differences between these two whales. First, the whale on the top is much bulkier, probably because it has more blubber. Another difference is the whale on the bottom must be going straight because its fins are next to its body. Last, they are two different whales because the bottom whale's fluke is a different shape. It is indented. He is also more streamlined than the one on top."

Good observations! The whale in the top photo is indeed much bulkier, and pregnancy (as well as more blubber) is the reason. Wayne Perryman studies aerial whale photos like these to detect reproductive status and changes in nutritive condition during the southbound migration. Changes in girth are better indicators of changes in a whale's condition than measurements of blubber thickness. Do you think the thin whale in the bottom photo may be in poor nutritive condition? The researchers found that gray whales lose between 11-25% of their weight during approximately 60 days of fasting between their southbound and northbound migrations past central California. Read on for more photo practice!
Wayne Perryman
Another Photogrammetry Challenge
Wayne has another challenge for you. He took these 3 aerial photos to study and measure the size, shape, and condition of the whales during migration. (They used the photos to measure standard total length, the width of the whale at its widest point, the distance from the tip of the rostrum to the widest point, and the width of the flukes.)

Here's another chance to test your observation and reasoning skills:

Challenge Question #15:
"How can you tell which photo shows a pregnant whale? How do the two mother whales differ in girth, and what might explain the differences?"

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


Reminder: Ask the Gray Whale Expert--Now Open
Have you sent in your questions for Gray Whale Expert Wayne Perryman? There's still time, but hurry! Submit them before the deadline April 5, 2002 at 5 p.m. (Eastern Time).

Babies and Barnacles: Discussion of Challenge Question #11
"What are some possible explanations for the number of barnacles on the babies? How could you find out more?" We're proud of jack and Hannah, second graders from Ferrisburgh (VT) Central School, who really worked hard on this one. They have a lot to teach us!

"The babies get the barnacles from their mother. When they are near their mom, they are scratched by the barnacles. When the barnacles touch the baby, some of them get on the baby and start growing. So if the mother has a lot of barnacles, the baby will have a lot. You can find out more about barnacles on the internet. We looked at
Ocean Oasis Field Guide and we saw that barnacles grow on coral. If a whale scratches on coral and shells that have barnacles, that is one way that they get them.

We also looked at another site and saw movies of the barnacles eating and reproducing. Barnacles eat plankton. So do the whales. If they are on a whale, they are going to be near their food. When they have babies, the babies swim around until they find a good place to attach. They would go from the mother whale right to the baby."

Scientist Dave Rugh adds more: "Gray whales have a greater variety of infestations of epizoites than any other species of cetacean. Virtually all gray whales have the host-specific barnacle Cryptolepas rhachianecti, and this is the only species of barnacle found on gray whales. Barnacles are smaller on northbound whales than southbound whales, indicating that the barnacles spawn while the whales are on their winter ground. Therefore, gray whale calves are highly susceptible to infestations. In a search of the available literature, I have found no indication of a correlation of age of a whale to the extent of infestation of barnacles."

Killers in Kodiak: Discussion of Challenge Question #12
Last time we asked, "Why do you think killer whales appear at this time of year in Kodiak Harbor?" Seventh graders Nina, Diana, and Hannah from Iselin (NJ) Middle School have it all figured out!

"The killer whales are at Kodiak Harbor to feed. Killer whales eat many different kinds of animals. Two of these animals are sea lions and gray whales. In the text, it explains that the killer whales are in Kodiak Harbor and that they have already killed two sea lions."

In Kodiak, biologist Susan Payne tells us, "These transient killer whales make the Kodiak Harbor a stop on their route around Kodiak Island. They target marine mammals and are coming into the harbor to feed specifically on the Steller sea lions. The sea lions are primarily males that spend the winter months in the harbor, returning to their rookeries sometime in May. Kate Wynne, a marine mammal specialist with the University of Alaska's Sea Grant program, adds: "I believe the killer whales come through periodically throughout the year but are most visible (and maybe predictable) in late Feb-early March. A growing number of females and juveniles have been using the area in the past 4-5 years. They all tend to leave for the summer (breeding season) and start showing back up in the fall. Their numbers seem to build to about 50 in May before heading out again."

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 #13 (OR #13 OR #15).
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 17, 2002.

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