Greetings from Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. I'm sorry to be a bit late with this report, but I've been caring for a daughter with chicken pox -- that's certainly one malady that makes a quick migration across a day care center.
I wasn't able to get any information from Bermuda, other than a report from the New England Aquarium that work is continuing down there although they have been slowed by inclement weather (choppy seas which make trips dangerous and whales hard to spot). The aquarium staff reports that field work will continue for several weeks down there -- and hopefully we'll have a report from them for next week's report. The Aquarium's Massachusetts Bay/Stellwagen Bank whale watch operation started up business this past weekend (but they don't expect to see humpbacks for a bit -- right now its right and fin whales). Several other whale watch organizations have either started up this week or will be commencing operations later in the month.
I do have a humpback whale update from our sister operation in Hawaii -- the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Allen Tom, Maui Project Specialist, went out on a research cruise with the Hawaiian research group "Whales Alive" on Monday and reported that he only saw one whale up close -- "a few weeks ago I would have seen 3-4," he noted.
The solitary male was still singing, and Allen could feel the vibrations of this "song" through the 20' inflatable boat he was riding in.
"That whale knew we were there," said Allen. "He cruised by upside down, circling around us, and then took a breath quite close by."
Allen believes the whales have started leaving Hawaiifor their summer feeding grounds in the Gulf of Alaska. Naomi McIntosh from the Oahu office of the Sanctuary supports that statement, reporting that the numbers of humpbacks around the North Shore of Oahu and Kona seem to have slightly decreased in number in April compared to sightings in February and March. She notes that lately, one might expect to see anywhere from 1-2 groups of whales (2-3 in a group) - - much smaller numbers than previously sighted. She did spot a mother and calf tailslapping last Saturday, but, she says, "there is definitely a feeling that the whales are heading north."
Allen told me that although they have been able to do some limited aerial surveys (and some are continuing even now), they have very little knowledge about calving rates and mortality for this whale population. He also said that there seemed to be a lot more human interaction with the whales this year (but he didn't know whether it was because of more whales, or more (and often less considerate) whale watchers.
He also reported that the whales seem to have arrived late this year (in December rather than November) and are leaving earlier than normal (early April as opposed to late April). One suggested reason for this change in migration might be due to the effects of the El Nino across the Pacific Ocean. It is believed that Alaska didn't cool down as quickly this year and the winter was a mild one throughout the Pacific. At the present time, Hawaii is undergoing a drought and hot spell which might have helped trigger an internal clock with the whales.
Allen reported that whales normally start showing up in Alaska in May. JOURNEY NORTH PARTICIPANTS IN ALASKA, PLEASE KEEP US POSTED ON WHALE SIGHTINGS UP YOUR WAY!!!
Another interesting item that Allen brought up was the belief that Hawaiian whales are a rather recent phenomenon. Hawaiin native tradition lists various "family guardians," such as dolphins and sea turtles. The fact that whales are not among this group may suggest the possibility that whales have only recently found this place. The whale hunters that often called at Hawaiian ports for supplies never wrote about finding whales here in their logbooks. Native petroglyphs do not picture whales. So -- WHY WOULD THE WHALES START COMING HERE TO HAWAII?
Another interesting fact is that some of the whales that visit Hawaii have also been seen in calving grounds off Japan and Mexico. (In any one season, about 2/3 of the whales go to Hawaii, the other 1/3 go to Japan or Mexico. Although the whales vary their calving grounds, they all visit the Gulf of Alaska for summer feeding.) Do the whales communicate among themselves about where they are going? How do they select which calving/breeding ground to visit? Were the Mexican and Japanese populations once separate groups that met and mixed in Hawaii, and if so, how did they find the islands in the first place? There are no answers to any of these questions. What do you think?
As Allen Tom and I concluded our conversation at 12:30pm Hawaiian time, he spotted a breaching whale out his window in the waters off the Maui coast -- a fitting end to our discussion.
Here's hoping all of you get the opportunity to one day observe this awe-inspiring sight. See you next week.
Anne Smrcina Education Coordinator Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Plymouth, Massachusetts
Journey North 125 North First Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Phone: (612)339-6959