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To: Journey North
From: Anne Smrcina
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
I've just heard (Tues., 3:30pm) that fifth-grade students from a Cape Cod school have spotted what looks like right whales off the Cape Cod National Seashore coastline!
As I type, researchers from the Center for Coastal Studies have taken their Zodiac inflatable boat to confirm the sighting. I'll try to get more information out to you this week about the sightings and the students who spotted the whales. Although one whale was spotted near Provincetown Harbor at Christmastime, scientists are not sure if it was coming of going (down south). If these Feb. 27th sightings are confirmed, the whales may be the leaders in this year's northward migration.
Jim Coleman, an educator from the National Environmental Education Development (NEED) Collaborative of Cape Cod, called with this information. A group of students from the Dennis-Yarmouth school system (communities on Cape Cod) were exploring the dunes of Race Point. (See if you can find Race Point on a map. It's the northernmost portion of Cape Cod.) The students were looking at harbor seals hauled out on the beach and some seemed to be moulting.
Suddenly they spotted a spout. They saw what appeared to be three whales some 300 yards offshore. The whales were actively moving -- perhaps feeding -- with bobbing heads and flukes (tails) often seen.
Further down the beach the students saw another whale -- this time only about 100 yards offshore. When its large head broke the surface they could easily see its white callosities on its chin as well as on its head. Also seen were paddle-shaped flippers and a perfect V-shaped (or heart-shaped) spout. Heading back along the shore, they saw what was either a fifth whale, or the reappearance of one of the whales from the first group.
The Center for Coastal Studies is out confirming this sighting, but if it turns out to be right whales, students will be the first observers of this annual springtime visitation of right whales to Cape Cod.
We'll have student reports in next week's right whale update, and an address where you can send e-mail to question these right whale watchers personally.
On a sad note, this is not the right time for right whales. Unfortunately, there's another right whale calf death reported from down south. Chris Slay, the New England Aquarium's right whale research team leader in Georgia, reports that a third calf was found floating. This calf was at a location 15 nautical miles NNE of the spot where last week's death was reported (24nm offshore and approximately 12nm ENE of the sea buoy at the Kings Bay Entrance Channel, a major shipping channel).
Chris notes that of the five mortalities recorded since January 2, only one has involved an animal that has washed ashore. All the other have been reported by vessels or aircraft, offshore of the official survey area. Thereforese would not normally would not have been spotted by the right whale aerial surveys). Says Chris, "Public awareness of right whales along the southeastern coast is far greater this year than ever. It is difficult to know how many dead whales have gone unreported in the past, if they didn't wash ashore."
This new carcass was shipped to Brunswick where a necropsy was done. Results from this and the tests from the other dead whales may be available soon.
With special permission from United Press International, a news article about the deaths of right whales this season accompanies my report.
CHALLENGE QUESTION #20: "What do you think may be the cause of these right whale fatalities?" Send your answer to jn-challenge@learner.org.
The research team has also been busy with tagging operations. Three mothers have had satellite transmitters attached over the past two weeks. Chris reports that two mother-calf pairs have been spending their time near the heavily travelled St. John River Entrance (Mayport). Another mother-calf pair is now off the South Carolina coast.
Notes Chris, "We've got our fingers crossed with hope that their calves survive the winter." I'm sure we all agree with him on that hope.
Have you been able to map #1707's progress from the last few reports. Here's one more reading from 22 Feb 1996 -- 38.4N 63.5W. What seems to be happening?
Scientists are concerned with these data points because they seem to be too closely affiliated with the Gulf Stream. Many of the right whales followed with radio tags in near shore studies seemed to wander a bit. However, METOMPKIN has been following the Gulf Stream in a pretty steady fashion.
One possibility is that the satellite tag detached from the debris and is now floating on its own in the Gulf Stream. Or, the more depressing possibility is that METOMPKIN died and (along with tag) is being carried eastward by this current.
The present position, according to scientists is 420 miles due east of Cape Cod and 200 miles due south of Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Researchers did not believe that right whales went this far offshore in their travels. However, since no hard data is available, they can't be sure.
The one positive piece of information is that some of the data indicate that the whale's progress may not be as steady as assumed. The WhaleNet database has more information on METOMPKIN. It gives three and four satellite fixes per day. And These data seem to show that occasionally the whale slows down in this eastward track.
WhaleNet , which funded this tag, also provides an excellent array of maps to view METOMPKIN's track. After accessing the home page, scroll down to S.T.O.P. (Satellite Tagging Observation Program) and click on "download a satellite map for tracking Metompkin," "download a tracking map" or download o GOES-8 satellite map." WhaleNet also has an interesting slide show of cetacean slides (but beware, it takes a long time to down load because it holds so much data).
Let's hope for better news next week. This is Anne Smrcina signing off.
The Next Right Whale Migration Update Will be Posted on March 6, 1996.
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