Hi. I'm Anne Smrcina, education coordinator of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. For those of you who have not seen the humpback whale report yet, please check that out for some background information on Stellwagen Bank. The Sanctuary is one of a system of special marine areas, protected for its important ecological and historical resources.
I will be reporting on the northern right whale based on reports from various researchers in the field (primarily the New England Aquarium's right whale research group, the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary in Georgia, and the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE
The right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) got its common name from the fact that it was "the right whale" to hunt -- it had large amounts of blubber or fat, it floated when it was killed making it easy to handle, and it was very slow making it easy to chase. It was so easy to hunt, that it soon became so uncommon that whalers had to go after other prey. (It is estimated that when the Pilgrims landed in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts --just steps away from the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary offices -- there were about 20,000 right whales in the Atlantic). Now, there are only about 300-350 individuals left in this population. There is a question of whether or not the species can survive from this low a number since the gene pool has been weakened considerably.
The right whale has no dorsal fin, has extremely long baleen plates in its arched upper jaw (about 7 feet long), and reaches a length of about 60 feet. It is hard to see in the water because of its lack of dorsal fin and because it moves slowly -- making it subject to ship strikes. This is believed to be one of the major killers of right whales today. A striking feature of the right whale is its pattern of callosities, which are patches of thickened skin often covered by whale lice -- a type of crustacean. These white patches on its head, over its eyes, and around its mouth are used by researchers to identify individual whales (each whale has a different pattern). But since a right whale doesn't often get much of its head out of the water, it makes it hard for the researcher to identify each whale. It often takes quite some time (sometimes using many photographs) to make a match.
Right whales have their calves in the waters off the coast of Georgia and Florida (the Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary is located off the coast of Georgia). Many spend the spring in the waters around Cape Cod, including the Stellwagen Bank area. In the summer, researchers believe most of the right whales congregate in waters in and near the Bay of Fundy to breed. Although females make the trek to southern waters to calve, it is not known where males, juveniles, and non-pregnant females go in the winter.
QUESTION: Where do you think the right whales go in the winter?
Although right whales have been protected in United States waters (and by most of the worlds nations) for the past 50 years, the animal has not recovered its numbers. In contrast, the west coast gray whale, which was also decimated by hunting, has regained its numbers and has been taken off the endangered species list.
QUESTION: Why hasn't the right whale population recovered despite strong protection measures?
RIGHT WHALE SIGHTINGS
>From New England Aquarium's right whale group in Georgia: 6 February 1995 five-six mother-calf pairs have been spotted off the Georgia coast.
Other sightings: Dec. 1994 -- fisherman reported seeing about six whales in the Bay of Fundy (report to N.E. Aquarium). 31 Jan. 1995 -- right whale in Provincetown Harbor (reported by Center for Coastal Studies) 7 Feb. 1995 -- 3-6 whales reported off Nantucket and 3-4 whales reported off of Chatham (outer Cape Cod) during last two weeks but before this weekend's major winter storm.
QUESTION: Why are these whales in these areas this winter?
NEWS ITEM: You may have seen some reports in the newspaper about a right whale found in the Delaware River. Here's a little bit more on that story.
On December 3rd, a right whale was spotted off Penns Landing, Philadelphia in the Delaware River -- some 80 miles from the ocean (it eventually reached 100 miles upriver). The animal seemed disoriented and was bumping into vessels with audible thuds which produced bloody wounds on its head. Researchers thought the animal might be entangled in debris since it was swimming at an unusual angle. However, after some more study, the rescue crew decided that the animal was not entangled. The team then tried to guide the whale out of the river by playing female right whale sounds to attract it or killer whale sounds to scare it. They had nets ready to capture the whale if that option became necessary. In the end, the whale swam out of the Delaware Bay on December 10th and continued on out into the ocean.
The researchers determined that the whale was a juvenile male and named him Shackleton after Sir Earnest Shackleton a not tremendously successful Antarctic explorer who survived ten danger-filled months on the Antarctic ice without a ship before leading all his men to safety. It was felt that Shackleton the whale had also encountered his greatest hardship and survived.
Although Shackleton may have suffered some damage from his sojourn up the river (he was hit by at least one boat -- a tug), the researchers hope to see him in Cape Cod Bay this spring or the Bay of Fundy in August.
A more complete write-up about this event will be included in an upcoming issue of "Whale Watcher," a newsletter of the American Cetacean Society.