Salutations from the Stellwagen Sanctuary
The humpback whale report today will be a bit brief -- not too many whales spotted up this way and we haven't been able to get an update from the Dominican Republic this week.
Whales continue to be sighted off the Virginia Beach coast --
2/22 -- 6 whales spotted, 5 humpbacks and 1 fin
2/23 -- 7 whales spotted, 6 humpbacks and 1 fin
The Virginia Marine Science Museum reports that they are extending their whalewatching operations into mid-March because of the consistent sightings so far. In past years few whales were seen this far into the month of February (if at all). The whales are probably feeding on menhaden and anchovies.
Jon Lien from Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland reports that they have been getting sighting reports from lighthouse keepers and shoreline residents (the weather is too rough at this time of the year to send out regular air or boat patrols).
Along the northeast coast of Newfoundland, humpback whales have been seen penning cod and herring in community coves (within a stone's throw of land). Residents from the Town of Twillingate near Notre Dame Bay and the region of Trinity Bay have called in these sightings.
Other marine mammals spotted in these areas include white-beaked dolphins (possible) and harp seals.
Harp seals, now numbering upwards of 4-5 million, are now being hunted in Newfoundland (hunters can get a license to kill up to 6 harp seals for personal use -- i.e. a source of food). With the closure of the fishing industry up in Newfoundland, this is a welcome source of protein. (Harp seal pups were once hunted -- quite brutally -- for their white pelts. The present hunt targets adult seals.) The seals are only seen occasionally now, but in March and April when the pack ice comes down to Newfoundland, many more seals will be coming up onto shore.
Lien also reports that the next few weeks should bring the blue whales to the southwest corner of the Gulf of Labrador. The blues feed on upwelling of zooplankton and krill on the edge of the ice. Wind pressure on the ice can raft it up in places, pushing the whales up onto shore. Over the past 15-20 years, he has seen some 40 blue whale strandings, with the maximum size being 85 feet (a mature whale) and as small as 46 feet (a juvenile).
Blue whales have been recorded on low frequency (military) listening devices; data show acoustic "sightings" from the Flemmish Cap (a seamount off the Grand Banks) to the Caribbean. I'll try to find out some more about this research in upcoming weeks. If any of you have come across reports on blue whale tracks, please send them in to Journey North.
That's all folks. See you next week.
Anne Smrcina Education Coordinator Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Plymouth, Massachusetts