To: Journey North
From: Anne Smrcina
Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Greetings and apologies for missing last week. Be sure to see my other report in the Ask The Expert section for more answers to your questions about whales.
It's been a very hectic time here in Plymouth. The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is hosting a MIMIFest all week this week, with some 1,800 students participating in a series of workshops. One group, from Indianapolis, met their pen pals from Stoughton, Mass. today and went on a whale watch yesterday. They saw several finbacks and white-sided dolphins (although I hear that many of them also experienced a bit of sea sickness.) Two other schools participating in the Fest will also be going out on whale watches (Wed. and Fri.). I'll have a report for you next week on any sightings.
For those of you who don't know what MIMI is all about -- it's a curriculum package that includes a series of videos, a textbook and several computer programs. The Voyage of the MIMI (#1) looks at whales in the Gulf of Maine (they see their first whale at Stellwagen Bank) as well as bringing in a lot of other math and science topics including charting and navigation, weather and hypothermia, fishing, geological mapping, whale identification, humpback songs, boat building, morse code, food chains, and a bunch of other topics. The second Voyage goes to the Yucatan for studies about archaeology (Mayan ruins), Mayan math, coral reefs, rain forests, etc. The program uses the MIMI vessel as the central "cast" member and "star" of the show. The vessel is a real ship, and it makes port calls along the east coast during the school year. This is the Sanctuary's week to sponsor a MIMIFest in which students get to tour the ship, meet Captain Granville (star of the videos and real life owner of MIMI -- real name is Peter Marston), get a planetarium show on celestial navigation (at our local middle school), and attend workshops on fishing issues, weather, and whale identification. It's lots of fun -- but a very time.
We'll be sponsoring the Fest again next year. Anyone wishing more information should contact me at my e-mail address, asmrcina@ocean. nos.noaa.gov (we'll find out what dates we have in 1997 in a few weeks).
Now to the whale sightings.
The right whales seem to have moved on. No reports from Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank, and none from the Great South Channel. The US Coast Guard is sending out periodic flights with observers from the National Marine Fisheries Service to look for whales (and potentially threatening ship traffic). Their last flight on May 16 did not spot any right whales. There are reports that there are lots of sand lance in the Channel, so copepods are probably scarce (both sand lance and right whales feed on copepods). The rights are probably on their way north right now to their summer feeding and breeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy and Scotian shelf. I'll try to get a report from Canada out to you next week.
Humpbacks, on the other hand, have been sighted locally. Since we know they like sand lance, it would seem to be logical to expect them in the Great South Channel. And that's just the case. The May 16 Coast Guard helicopter patrol spotted almost a dozen humpbacks during its flight. Coordinates were: 41 degrees 40.4 minutes N; 69 degress 39.1 minutes W -- 6-8 whales; 41 19.3 N; 69 22.5 W -- 3 whales. In addition, they saw almost 100 white-sided dolphins, several fin whales, a possible minke whale, and a large bulk carrier northward bound. (The helicopter flew at an altitude of 750 feet at 100 knots for 2.4 hours.
Several days ago the captain of a fishing vessel reported seeing about 100 humpbacks at Cashes Ledge, an area about 80 miles due east of Cape Ann.
The last challenge question was about the Great South Channel. This is a relatively deep area between Nantucket Shoals to its west and Georges Bank to its right. North-South ship traffic along the east coast (New York to Boston for example) would want to keep within this channel rather than risk grounding on the shallow areas to either side.
That's all for today. Until next week, this is Anne Smrcina signing off.
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