Right Whale Volunteer News Winter

Transcription

1 Right Whale Volunteer News Winter Julie Albert, Program Coordinator Arpeggio and First Calf Grace Florida Coast The first confirmed sighting of a right whale mother this season was of Arpeggio (right whale #2537). She made her first appearance in the Southeast U.S. on December 5th with her first calf. She has frequented the St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach areas since her arrival. The pair has been spotted at least 20 times. Arpeggio has been keeping her calf close to shore and her calf is sometimes difficult to see from land. However, Arpeggio is easy to identify by scars on her body. She has distinctive white spots behind the right side of her head. She also has propeller scars on the right side of her back. While scars are the result of often unfortunate incidents, they often play a critical role in identifying individual whales. To date, at least 50 whales have been spotted in the calving ground and fourteen calves were born. Unfortunately, two mothers lost their calves. One known mother was seen without her calf. In a separate incident, a newborn calf washed ashore dead in Ormond Beach. More to come in the Summer 2008 newsletter. Arpeggio (#2753) with her first calf. Photo courtesy: Joy Hampp/MLD Disney Honors Cynthia Dolaway with Conservation Hero Award and $1000 Cynthia Dolaway was honored by Disney on December 1st for her tireless conservation efforts with both the Right Whale Monitoring Program and the Sea Turtle Preservation Society (STPS). With her friends and fellow volunteers, Cynthia was treated to an honorary lunch aboard the Disney Magic cruise liner. In addition to conservation presentations and surprise birthday honors for Cynthia's husband, Danny Dolaway, and volunteer Ben Robinson, Cynthia was presented with a plaque honoring her efforts and a cash award of $1000. Cynthia was nominated by the Marine Resources Council as a conservation hero because of her diligent efforts to protect right whales and sea turtles. Cynthia was one of nine honorees worldwide, and only two were American. She is one of 27 people worldwide to earn the distinction of "Conservation Hero" in the four years Disney has been giving the award. Other conservation honorees were chosen from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Belize, and Indonesia. Cynthia stated she felt honored being ranked among other awardees around the world for their efforts in conservation. She constantly reiterates that what she enjoys what she does and credits her husband, Danny, for his support during her retirement. She says if it weren't for him, she wouldn't be able to have such a great time protecting our local wildlife! Thanks, Cindy and Danny! L to R: Capt. Tom of the Disney Magic cruise liner, Cynthia Dolaway, and Kim Sams, manager of Conservation Initiatives at Walt Disney World. Photo courtesy: Walt Disney World.

2 Summer Whales Identified as Derecha & Calf On July 17th, Capt. Tim Roush and Troy Stovall photographed a mother right whale and her young calf about 15 miles southeast of Mayport, Florida. Phil Hamilton at the New England Aquarium matched the calf with a mother/calf pair seen in the Northeast in August and September. The strange growths on the calf's back made it easy to identify as the calf of "Derecha," or right whale #2360. Derecha is no stranger to volunteers. She was spotted in Jan by Mary Jane & Dick Delauder in Indialantic FL before she took her first calf to the Gulf of Mexico in April. Derecha is the only known right whale to give birth in the Northeast U.S. She has also been seen in the southeast calving grounds this winter. Derecha (#2360) was spotted about 15 miles southeast of Jacksonville, Florida on July 17, 2007 with her second calf. Photo courtesy: NEAq Ships Charting Different Course in NE from NOAA Boston Harbor shipping lanes were rotated northeast and narrowed to decrease ship strikes with whales beginning July 1, Shifting the lanes to regions less used by whales could decrease ship strikes with right whales by 58% and with all baleen whale species by 81%. This event marks years of cooperative efforts between NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Boston shipping lanes run through Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS), a region known as a critical feeding ground for humpback, fin, minke and right whales. Nearly 3,500 ships travel through SBNMS each year. Prior to the shipping lane shift proposal, researchers studied the densities of whales throughout SBNMS using 25 years of data provided by many different agencies. The Coast Guard analyzed the safety and navigational risks associated with the shift for mariners. The total path for ships has increased by 3.75 nautical miles and the time for each trip through the shipping lane has increased by 10 to 22 minutes. Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, who represents the Port of Boston, said, "It is an extraordinary challenge to balance the commercial needs of the Port of Boston with the importance of protecting marine life and the environment, and the Coast Guard and NOAA are doing a remarkable job." Roseway Basin New Area to be Avoided from the New England Aquarium Roseway Basin, 30 nautical miles southeast of Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia, is one of the only regions where right whales gather seasonally each year to feed and mate. Canadian government officials declared Roseway Basin a suggested Area to be Avoided (ATBA) by ships in October This designation is part of continued international efforts to decrease deadly ship strikes with great whales and is the third time in four years that federal officials in either Canada or the U.S. have moved ships away from heavily used whale habitat areas. Roseway Basin was declared a right whale conservation area in An unlikely alliance between the New England Aquarium and Irving Oil led this movement. On July 1, 2007 Boston shipping lanes were rotated north by 12 and narrowed by 1/2 mile to avoid regions with high densities of whales. Right Whale Gifts Available for Donations The right whale program has an extensive collection of items that make great gifts for you or your loved ones. Choose from jewelry, books, shirts, belts, toys, posters, notecards, and cling art. Learn about the whales you've worked so hard to protect and display your efforts proudly! All donations are tax deductible. For more information on how to receive an item as a free gift with a donation to the whale program, call WHALE. Roseway Basin (right) was declared a suggested "Area to be Avoided" by the Canadian government. Map by Kerry Lagueux. 2

3 MRC Photos Right Whale in Dec. for 1st Time in Brevard Co.; Mother Entangled safely on January 6th. The mother of this yearling, #2645, was spotted entangled on Jan. 12th in the Northeast. Her entanglement is not believed to be life-threatening and she may actually shed the gear over time on her own. More documentation will determine if intervention will be necessary. More information will be posted in upcoming newsletters as her condition is evaluated and a course of action is determined. This was the first season a right whale was confirmed and photographed during the month of December in Brevard County in the southern end of the critical habitat area. On December 28, 2007, Mary Nietupski called the hotline at approximately 8:00a.m. to report a whale sighting in Melbourne Beach. The whale was identified as the 2007 calf of right whale #2645. The yearling was followed as far south as the McLarty Treasure Museum in Vero Beach, about 2 miles south of Sebastian Inlet. In all, the whale was tracked for eight hours and she traveled about 14.5 miles. A right whale was spotted off Jensen Beach in the following days and it is believed it may be the same one. This young whale has been traveling by itself and has also been spotted in North Florida. This whale has since been seen by the Marineland volunteers at least four times. It was also escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard inside the Jacksonville channel at the mouth of the St. John's River until it made it's way out to open ocean The yearling of right whale #2645, as seen on Dec. 28th at it swam south through Melbourne Beach, FL. (Photo: Julie Albert/MRC) HBOI, Disney, and Port Canaveral Keep Program Alive for 12th Year equipment to help document right whales in the southern end of the critical habitat. The critical habitat area is not regularly covered by aerial surveys, so the documentation of whales in this area is important. The data collected south of Cape Canaveral may help pass laws one day to better protect right whales in the Southeast U.S. during the winter. HBOI has awarded the Right Whale Program $150,000 over three years through the sale of the Protect Florida Whales specialty license plate. The long-term partnership between MRC's Right Whale Monitoring Program, HBOI, Port Canaveral, and the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund is a testament to the cooperation and conservation efforts of these four organizations. With Disney having cruise ships calling Port Canaveral home, and the Port having a lot of traffic, it is evident we have all been working together to protect right whales from collisions with ships, their number one killer. HBOI's contribution of photo equipment and the resulting documentation of whales near the port have helped us keep the Canaveral harbor pilots personally informed by MRC when whales are seen nearby. Disney's Wildlife Conservation Fund has donated $60,800 to the program since The resulting educational materials produced for the public has ensured the public continues to report sightings to our hotline. Port Canaveral, the sponsor who has been with us nearly since the inception of the program, has contributed over $70,000 since The dedication of HBOI, Disney, and Port Canaveral to protecting wildlife is evident in the long-term support MRC has received from all of them. Their commitment to keeping right whales safe in their only known calving ground is commendable. Their support helps us in part teach educational programs to the public, produce educational materials, and make the toll-free hotline available for the public to report sightings. Each organization's support is greatly appreciated and we encourage you to support them, as well as the right whale program. In turn, when you support our sponsors, you also support right whale research. So, please consider purchasing a Protect Florida Whales specialty license plate, taking the family on vacation to a Disney park, or taking a cruise out of Port Canaveral. In the end, it comes right back to us! Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) began its support of the whale program three years ago with the much-needed funding for photographic 3

4 Right Whale Moms for Calving Season Listed below and on the following pages are the 22 right whales that gave birth last season. Many of them last calved in 2004, which means it did not take them long to reproduce again. The information and photos included here are courtesy of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. Many agencies and individuals contribute photos and data to this database. We thank each of them for allowing us to share this information with you. The ages of the whales listed are as of the winter of when they gave birth. For more information, please visit and conduct your own search of right whales. (The photo of #1814 was taken by PCCS under NOAA Fisheries permit , under the authority of the U.S. Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts.) #1425 This mom just had her third calf. Her second one was born in the record-breaking 2001 season. Phoenix (#1705) Phoenix was born in 1987 and is also 20 years old. Her mother is #1004. She just gave birth to her 3rd calf. Her second was born in #1620 This 4th-time mom had her last calf in #1710 This mom was spotted off Iceland in June 2003 a habitat for right whales not widely studied. She just had her 5th calf. Her fourth one was born in the record-breaking 2001 calving season. At that time, she joined 30 other mothers in the Southeast U.S. [No photos of #1810 are currently available.] Aphrodite (#1701) At 20 years old, Aphrodite gave birth to her 4th calf. Her third was born in Aphrodite was born in 1997 to right whale #1219. #1810 This 4th-time mom gave birth to her last (third) calf in the 2002 calving season. 4

5 Right Whale Moms for Calving Season #1814 Not much is known about this whale. She is believed to have lost her 2007 calf after being seen several times without it. Minus one (#2430) At 13 years old, she just gave birth to her 1st calf. #1911 This 18-year-old mom was born in 1989 to right whale #1001. She just gave birth to her 3rd calf. Her second one was born in Monarch (#2460) Monarch has had at least 2 calves. Her last one was born in #2145 Born in 1991, this 16-year-old's mother is #1145. The 2007 calving season brought her a third calf, the second of which was born in #2601 This 11-year-old, born in 1996 to mother #1701, just became a first-fime mom. Derecha (#2360) - Derecha went into the Gulf of Mexico in 2004 after volunteers Mary Jane and Dick Delauder spotted her in Indialantic. She was spotted with her late 2007 calf in July off the coast of Jacksonville, FL. 5 Smoke (#2605) - Born in 1996 to mother #1705, this 11-year-old just gave birth for the first time. Her calf's birth was pinpointed to within three days.

6 Right Whale Moms for Calving Season Picasso (#2611) Born in 1996 and known for the distinct white marks on her head, she was easy for Brevard County volunteers to spot several times. Picasso was an 11-year-old first-time mom and the calf of #2610. #2746 This first-time mom is 10 years old. She was born in 1997 to mother #1946. She was last spotted in the calving ground in #2614 This 11-year-old mom whose mother is right whale #1114, just gave birth to her second calf. She had her first calf in #2912 Born to mother #1612 in 1999, this first-time mom is only 8 years old. #3280 The age of this whale is unknown, but she just gave birth for the first time. #2642 Born in 1996 to right whale #1142, this 11- year-old just became a first-time mom. # This mom just gave birth for the second time. Her first calf was born in Born in 1996, she is 11 years old and her mother is #1245. The calf returned to the calving ground during the 2008 season by itself. She was recently spotted entangled. 6 #3360 This young animal just gave birth for the first time. She was spotted first by volunteers and confirmed by the Marineland Group.

7 Wyland Raises Awareness and Money for Marine Mammals Wyland Paints Murals with Local Students On October 30th nearly 75 Indian River County students had the opportunity to paint with one of the most influential environmental artists of our time. As part of the "Clean Water for the 21st Century and Beyond" program, Wyland stopped in Ft. Pierce to inspire awareness of water quality and conservation through art and science. The students were from Learning Garden Montessori, Westwood High School's Marine Oceanographic Academy, and a group of home-schooled children. Each student painted on two murals alongside Wyland and experienced the Clean Water mobile learning unit full of exhibits devoted to the water cycle. Exhibits emphasized the paths of water through lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, wetlands and oceans. The curriculum, designed for grades K-12 is downloadable online and meets the national science standards at Wyland, known primarily as a marine life artist, is beginning to incorporate wetland and terrestrial animals into some of his pieces in an effort to emphasize the connectivity of all systems on our planet. To view the murals, visit Harbor Branch's Ocean Discovery Center. Art Auction Benefits Marine Mammals While visiting Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) during his Every Drop Counts tour, world renowned marine life artist Wyland spent the evening painting original sumi-e japanese brush paintings to raise money for marine mammals. Sumi-e ("soomee ay") is "ink painting" on rice paper, which is an East Asian type of brush painting used in Japan and China centuries ago. Beautiful lines and forms are created by means of brush strokes, often not touching each other. Wyland enjoys letting others fill in the "spaces" with their imagination. He painted sumi-e humpback whales, sea turtles, dolphins, and more, by request, for local bidders. Normally sold for about $7000, these one-of-a kind paintings were sold to bidders at a steal of $2000 each. Two lucky couples also won a bid for lunch with Wyland and a ride in a helicopter to get there. Money raised that evening benefits the construction of HBOI's Marine Mammal Stranding Center (including a Wyland painted dolphins in the style of teaching hospital) and Japanese calligraphy for auction. Photo: the Wyland Julie Albert/MRC Foundation. Wyland also shared his re-edited film Artist of the Sea, narrated by the late actor Lloyd Bridges, and his CD Rhythms of the Sea with over a hundred benefactors during the "Evening of Ocean Discovery." Wyland paints a manatee on a mural at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. Local children helped finish the mural throughout the day. MRC ladies (left to right) Cindy Dolaway, Beth McMillen, Sarah Rhodes, and Julie Albert enjoyed a night out with Wyland (center) at the art auction on October 30th at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. Students painted with Wyland at HBOI on October 30th as part of Wyland's Clean Water Challenge 2007 Every Drop Counts Tour. 7 To Support MRC's Whale Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, and the Wyland Foundation, please purchase a "Protect Florida Whales" specialty license plate. Thank you!

8 8 Critical Habitat

9 Right Whale #1403 Gear Free Entanglement Updates Information provided by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies Right whale #1403, a previously entangled adult male, has recently been declared gear free. The New England Aquarium right whale survey team photographed the whale August 12, 2007 in the Bay of Fundy free of any entangling line, but with a deep gouge on the top of his head. An affected area near the tail has also healed. This whale was initially seen entangled on Sept. 18, 2007 with rope exiting the mouth, crossing over the head, and reentering the mouth on the other side. Right Whale #2029 Remains Entangled Reported first on March 9, 2007 southeast of Chatham, MA by NOAA, right whale #2029 is still entangled as of her last sighting. The whale was severely entangled with a line leaving the left side of the mouth, involving at least one flipper, passing over her back, and then possibly wrapping the body. The animal was still able to feed and seen in the vicinity of other whales. The whale was sighted multiple times in March and disentanglement teams were able to cut the line across her back, but it is unknown what effect it will have on the nature of the entanglement. The whale currently remains entangled. Right whale #1403 on August 12, 2007 with a deep gouge on his head as a result of entangling rope. Photo courtesy: New England Aquarium. Right Whale #3260 Possibly Gear Free The most recent photos taken of female right whale #3260 indicate she is no longer entangled. The whale was first spotted May 8, 2007 southeast of Chatham, MA with rope trailing from her mouth. A disentanglement attempt was cancelled due to poor weather. She was again spotted June 25th with gear still trailing but "balled up" near the tail of the animal. Scientists did not expect the entanglement to be fatal. The whale was spotted on October 22 by the Blue Ocean Society from the water. Photos show that she no longer has gear trailing from her mouth. Aerial survey efforts should confirm whether this animal is still entangled. Right whale #2029 as seen on Sept. 18, 2007 in the Bay of Fundy. This whale's entanglement may be life-threatening. Photo courtesy: New England Aquarium. Kingfisher in Calving Ground... Again First spotted severely entangled off the coast of St. Augustine, FL on March 17, 2004 and once thought doomed, Kingfisher has visited the Southeast calving grounds every year since his birth, and this season is no exception. He was spotted by the New England Aquarium's aerial survey team on February 3rd about 20 miles east of Cumberland Island, GA. He was part of a group of nine whales all within one mile of each other. Kingfisher's right flipper remains entangled and his skin is sloughing, a condition that has worsened since The sloughing is currently being monitored as it is cause for concern. This young male was the subject of multiple disentanglement efforts in 2004 when he was only a year old. He inexplicably shed most of his gear before returning to the Southeast in January 2005 and has remained in good health, has been feeding, and is social. #3260 possibly gear free on October 22, Photo courtesy: Blue Ocean Society. Right Whale # No Visible Gear Spotted initially on September 13, 2001, with a minor entanglement, male right whale #3040 was recently spotted with no visible gear. The recent sighting took place on April 26th, 2007 about 45 nautical miles East of Nantucket, MA in the Great South Channel. He had also been seen on at least 12 occasions between June 2002 and the spring of Kingfisher was spotted off Cumberland Island, GA on February 3rd. Above: Kingfisher as seen in the Bay of Fundy on August 11, Photo courtesy: New England Aquarium. 9

10 Marine Resources Council 3275 Dixie Hwy. NE Palm Bay, FL Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID MELBOURNE, FL Permit No. 340 Northern Right Whale Monitoring Program WHALE