WHALES AND DOLPHINS UNDER THE CALIFORNIA SUN

Transcription

1 WHALES AND DOLPHINS UNDER THE CALIFORNIA SUN FIELD REPORT Amazon Riverboat Exploration 2012 FIELD REPORT 1

2 Whales and Dolphins Under the California Sun 2013/2014 FIELD REPORT Background Information LEAD PI: Lei Lani Stelle REPORT COMPLETED BY: Lei Lani Stelle PERIOD COVERED BY THIS REPORT: Winter , Summer DATE REPORT COMPLETED: :18:32 CHANGES TO: PROJECT SCIENTISTS: Each year new students from the University of Redlands join for a season or more to complete their senior thesis projects. Kendall Pegan: BS Biology (2013), winter 2013 ; Chelsea Kyffin: BS Biology (2013), winter 2013; Tanya Camper: BS Biology (2014), winter 2013, summer 2013, winter 2014; Georgina Stone: BS Johnston emphasis in Marine Science (2014), winter 2013, summer 2013, winter 2014; Taylor Dee: BS Biology (expected 2015), winter 2014, summer 2014; Haley Thitgen: BS Biology (expected 2015), winter 2014, summer 2014 RESEARCH SITE: No RESEARCH SITE LATITUDE / LONGITUDE: No

3 Dear Volunteers, We have now settled into our new base in Dana Point but every season is just as exciting as the first. One of the best parts of our research is that you never know what you will see or discover. We are fortunate to observe many large whales (Gray in winter and Blue in summer), along with year-round resident species of dolphins and sea lions. Yet, our expectations were challenged by a number of unusual sightings in Extremely high sea surface temperature likely explain observations of rarely seen tropical Bryde s whales and Pilot whales, once common in our study area but absent for over 30 years! Your efforts contribute to new and ongoing projects led by research students at the University of Redlands. Tanya Camper developed the first photo-id catalogue of offshore bottlenose dolphins. We ve already identified 137 individuals with a relatively low resighting rate. Our Blue whale photo-id catalogue (begun by Kendall Pegan, continued by Georgina Stone) now contains 62 individual blue whales, with ~25-30 each summer. As we continue to add more animals to our databases, we can examine questions related to site fidelity and social structure. Everyone enjoys seeing sea lions resting on buoys but we wondered if boat traffic was disturbing the animals. Some of you helped to address this question by observing sea lions with Haley Thiltgen. Preliminary results are encouraging as the sea lions don t respond to most boats. Unfortunately we frequently observe extreme harassment, including jet skis circling at high speed to touch a sea lion, or boat passengers squirting the animals with water guns. We observe similar trends with boats around the whales. Most, especially the whale watch vessels, follow the guidelines yet many private boats ignore (or are unaware of) the regulations. Although we have not documented a significant response of the animals to boat presence, we think this is likely because we are losing the extremes in the noise of the data. Future analyses will separate the effects of boat distance, number, and type on the responses of the animals. All of the time you spent recording data and mapping our surveys is really helpful. By zigzagging over the edge of the continental shelf in 2013, we confirmed that the majority of animals were utilizing this productive habitat. Next steps are to conduct spatial statistics analyses and use agent-based modeling to predict animal movements and assess the impacts of vessel traffic. Many of you helped us test out our citizen science mobile application, Whale mapp, and provided useful feedback. We are nearly ready for the official release of the app and hope that some of you will use Whale mapp to record sightings or as an educational tool. As you learned, field work can be exhilarating, tiring, tedious, and wet but always rewarding. This work would not be possible without your keen observations, meticulous records, careful data entry, and enthusiasm. Thank you for helping us to understand the risks faced by the marine mammal community sharing our waters! Sincerely, Lei Lani Stelle

4 SECTION ONE: Scientific research achievements TOP HIGHLIGHT FROM THE PAST SEASON We had a number of unusual sightings in 2014 including Bryde's whales which are a tropical species rarely seen in our waters. The water temperatures were extremely high and this is the likely cause for these sightings along with the fact that the Blue whales we observed spent more of their time traveling than actively feeding. REPORTING AGAINST RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Our research is designed to examine human impacts on all species of marine mammals encountered in the Southern California Bight. Our winter expeditions focus on gray whales during their migration past our coast while during the summer we focus on the Blue whales which migrate to our study area to forage. Resident species of dolphins and pinnipeds are also studied during both seasons. We conducted winter Discovery expeditions between January and March: three weekends in 2013 and two weekends in These involved both boat surveys from Redondo Beach, San Pedro and Long Beach and shore observations from Palos Verdes. The summer week-long expeditions (mid-june to August) are based from Orange County with visits to Catalina Island; we collected data over 6 weeks in 2013 and 5 weeks in Boat surveys were conducted via charters from Dana Point and Catalina Island, along with opportunistic data collection from whale watch vessels out of Dana Point. In addition, we recorded sightings of all animals from shore stations in Laguna Beach and Dana Point in both summers and observed sea lions from the Dana Point jetty in We have made substantial progress on our 4 primary research objectives which have contributed greatly to the senior thesis projects of Tanya Camper (Objectives 1 and 2), Taylor Dee (Objective 2), Georgina Stone (Objectives 1 & 3), Haley Thiltgen (Objective 3), and Lihini Weerasinghe (Objective 4). 60 Sigh%ngs Species Figure 1: Sightings of cetaceans from Orange County and Catalina Island during the summers

5 Pinninped Sigh%ngs (Summer: Dana Point & Catalina) Sigh%ngs CA Sea Lion Harbor Seal Elephant Seal Species Figure 2: Sightings of pinnipeds from Orange County and Catalina Island during the summers Objective 1: Species Monitoring and Distribution Patterns A primary goal of this research project is to monitor the species observed, including recording the precise locations of all sightings to examine both daily and seasonal trends in each species habitat use. GIS maps are created to show the locations of all marine mammal and boat sightings, and allow analyses in relation to a variety of oceanographic layers including SST (sea surface temperature), bathymetry (bottom depth and slope), chlorophyll (measure of primary productivity), and krill (prey for large whales). We ve observed nine species of cetaceans (Figure 1) and three species of pinnipeds (Figure 2). Blue whales were the most commonly observed mysticete during the summer months, ranging from sightings per year, while Common dolphins were the most commonly observed odontocete (Figure 1). Pinnipeds, namely California sea lions, were the most commonly observed marine mammals with over 200 sightings each summer (Figure 2). The number of sightings of each species varied between years with Blue whales being more frequently encountered in 2014 and Common dolphins more abundant in 2013.

6 Figure 3: Blue whale sightings from the summer of 2013 mapped with ESRI ArcGIS. Track lines represent survey effort while symbols are color coded by date for every observation of a blue whale.

7 Figure 4. Bottlenose dolphin pods observed from Dana Point (June Dec, 2013).

8 During the summer of 2013 we conducted transects that zigzagged over the edge of the continental shelf to investigate distribution patterns. A map of our effort and all blue whale sightings (Figure 3) supports our hypothesis that the blue whales are mainly found on the edge of the shelf, likely because this is an area of upwelling which supports the prey base of krill. Bottlenose dolphins were also found in the same region with the majority of all offshore pods observed along the shelf edge, with the coastal animals observed within 1 km from shore as predicted (Figure 4). Photographs are used to identify individual animals which can provide insight into population size, habitat use, site fidelity, and social networks. We collect photographs to identify individuals of all species observed (e.g. Gray Blue, Humpback, Fin, and Minke whales, Bottlenose and Risso s dolphins, and Harbor seals) except the species with extremely large populations (e.g. California sea lions and Common dolphins). A photo-id catalogue of blue whales currently has 62 individual animals. We ve observed relatively low resightings; from 2014, only two of the blue whales had been observed in 2013 and three in 2012.

9 Figure 5: a) Photographs of three individual offshore bottlenose dolphins sighted on two different dates in July, b) map of location of the two resightings. Figure 6: Cumulative rate of identified offshore bottlenose dolphins over time between 2012 and A catalogue of offshore Bottlenose dolphins currently has a total of 137 unique individuals (not including 2014 data which is under analysis). Resightings were very low; for example three animals photographed on July 10 were observed again on July 22, 2013 (Figure 5a) within two miles of their original location (Figure 5b) but the other pod members differed. The rate at which individual bottlenose dolphins are being added to the catalogue is continuing to increase (Figure 6) with no sign of plateau which suggests that the population is large and we have not yet identified a substantial proportion of the population. We share our photo-id catalogs with collaborators (e.g. Cascadia Research Collective, CDOC California Dolphin Online Catalog) to better improve our understanding of the populations. We also provide the whale watch companies we work with (e.g. Dana Wharf Whale Watch and Catalina Coastal Tours) copies of the catalogs for public outreach.

10 Figure 8: Comparison of ocean temperature from August, 2014 to average values.

11 Objective 2: Behavioral Investigations To fully investigate marine mammals, it is essential to not just know where they are observed but how they are using their habitat. We record the activity state for all sightings, categorized as Feeding, Traveling, Milling, Socializing, Resting, and Other (or Unknown). Although we observed more blue whales in 2014 than 2013, the animals spent less time feeding in 2014 (33%) than 2013 (50%) and more time traveling (47% vs 26%; Figure 7). We hypothesize that this shift in behavior was due to unusually warm sea surface temperatures in 2014 as measurements were much higher than average (NOAA, Figure 8). Colder waters indicate upwelling of nutrient-rich bottom waters to the surface, so the warmer temperatures suggest lower productivity and therefore less prey availability. 17% Traveling Milling 13% Feeding 54% Socializing 3% 13% Unknown Figure 9. Activity budget of offshore Bottlenose dolphins in 2013 (N = 30 pods). Describing dolphin behavior is notoriously difficult as there are many individuals in each pod so multiple behaviors can occur at one time and the size of pods can make it difficult to record unbiased observations. An analysis of offshore bottlenose dolphin behavior illustrates that the majority of pods were observed to be traveling, followed by unknown (Figure 9). We are currently working on a project to refine our sampling methodology and expand the ethogram (behavioral descriptions) to allow for more detailed and accurate analyses of dolphin behaviors.

12 Objective 3: Vessel Disturbance Vessel interactions with marine mammal can result in animals experiencing high stress levels, changes in behavior including reduction in feeding or other essential activities, injury, or even death. Therefore, we are investigating if vessels comply with existing regulations and if they act as a disturbance by tracking individual animal s movement patterns, swim speeds, behaviors, and respiration patterns, with simultaneous data collection on boat presence and activity. Specific indicators that vessels are causing a disturbance would include any change in diving and respiratory patterns, a shift in their swim speed or direction of travel, and a change in behavioral state. Figure 10. Map of blue whale sightings from the summer of 2013 in relationship to boat traffic. Movement of the research vessel is shown by track lines (color coded by date).

13 Average Dive Dura%on (min: sec) 0:11:31 0:10:05 0:08:38 0:07:12 0:05:46 0:04:19 0:02:53 0:01:26 0:00:00 Overall Boat No Boat Average Number of blows per surfacing Overall Boat No Boat Average Interval between blows (sec) 0:00:30 0:00:26 0:00:22 0:00:17 0:00:13 0:00:09 0:00:04 0:00:00 Overall Boat No Boat Figure 11. Comparison of average (+/- standard deviation) Blue whale respiration and diving patterns in the presence and absence of vessels.

14 Extensive boat traffic is observed in our study area. A map of boat traffic from the summer of 2013 in relationship to blue whale observations shows that the majority of vessels are sailboats observed near the harbor entrance (Figure 10). But a variety of boats are observed near the whale sightings; speedboats and sailboats commonly follow the whale watch boats to observe the animals. We are continuing to analyze the patterns of vessel traffic and will be using this data in an agentbased model of animal distribution and movements in collaboration with a math professor, Dr. Joanna Bieri. An analysis of Blue whale respiration and dive patterns was performed from records of 22 individual animals observed (average record = 45 min) during the summer of No significant difference was found in any of the parameters when comparing records in the presence and absence of vessels (Figure 11). Dive duration was very similar in all conditions and averaged ~7 minutes (p-value of 0.835, t-test 0.210, df 24). The number of blows appeared to be lower when boats were present but there was no significant difference (p-value 0.621, t-test 0.497, df 42). The time between each respiration (e.g. blow Intervals) was also slightly shorter in the presence of boats but again not statistically significant (p-value 0.534, t- test 0.628, df 29). Further analyses do indicate some vessel impacts though. The average swim speed of whales was slower in the presence of vessels (0.052 miles/minute) compared to the absence of vessels (0.070 miles/ minute). It appeared that the whales exhibited less directness in the presence of vessels (0.65 compared to 0.83) but was not significant (p= and t-test= 0.876). Whale Watch 8% Unknown 10% Yacht 10% Fishing 4% Jetski 7% Kayak 8% Paddleboard 7% Sailboat 11% Speedboat 35% Figure 12: Distribution of vessels (N=172) interacting with sea lions hauled out on a buoy outside of Dana Point harbor. All observations were conducted from the jetty with a spotting scope.

15 During the spring of 2014 we initiated a new study to determine if vessels passing by sea lions resting on a buoy acted as a disturbance. Sea lions were observed from a jetty bordering Dana Point harbor using a spotting scope so that our presence did not have any influence. Scan-instantaneous sampling of sea lion behaviors was recorded at 5 minute intervals and then again every time a boat passed in close proximity to the animals. During 11 observation periods (average duration = 95 min), 172 vessels were observed interacting with the sea lions. Speedboats were the most common (35%) but there were 8 other types of boats and 26% were non-motorized vessels (e.g. sailboats, paddleboard, and kayaks) (Figure 12). Sea lions spent most of their time in Inactive behaviors (62%) such as resting and there was no significant difference in their overall average activity budget in the presence of absence of boats (n=2,031, X2=8.231, p=0.1439; Figure 13). The presence of vessels also had no significant effect on whether Sea Lions jumped off the buoy (p=0.905) nor whether they jumped on (p=0.233). These results are encouraging and suggest that the average approach does not appear to be disturbing either the whales or the sea lions. Yet, animals in the study area are exposed to a near constant level of noise and vessels in close proximity, so that the observed behaviors may reflect a baseline level of stress. We have observed incidents of clear harassment, primarily by recreational boaters (including kayaks and stand-up paddleboards) which are notoriously difficult to scientifically document and prove. We plan to continue to expand our dataset on this topic to conduct more nuanced statistical and spatial analyses to assess vessel specifics (e.g. boat type, size, activity, distance) and possibly more subtle responses of the animals.

16 Figure 14: Injury cause by species (no injury no visible injury, natural injury showing signs of natural causes, PA injury caused by possible anthropogenic factors) Figure 15: Possible anthropogenic injuries of Blue whales. Top left- hole in dorsal fin (possible fishing hook), Top right linear cut in dorsal fin (possible fishing line), Bottom injury on dorsal fin (natural) and scar on back (possible vessel collision).

17 Objective 4: Injury Assessment Photographs collected for photo-id efforts and opportunistically can also be used to assess type and frequency of injuries sustained by marine mammals observed in our study area. Our goal is to compare species in terms of type of injuries (e.g. natural vs. anthropogenic) and rates within the populations. This data will provide important information on human impacts and risks faced by the various species. A recent analysis examined 29 individual blue whales, 59 bottlenose dolphins, and 40 California sea lions. Each animal was represented by 2-6 images to examine a variety of body parts. Injuries were categorized as potentially anthropogenic (e.g. fishing line entanglement, boat collision) or natural (e.g. rake marks from orcas) in cause. Blue whales exhibited a high injury rate (58%) and although the majority of injuries were of natural origin (Figure 14), five animals did show anthropogenic impacts (Figure 15). The majority of the bottlenose dolphins were injured (90%) but most appeared to be of natural causes (Figure 14). Surprisingly, only 28% of the California sea lions showed injuries with only 1 anthropogenic source (Figure 14). This preliminary analysis demonstrates the range of impact on different species and suggests that we need a much larger dataset to accurately assess human impacts in terms of injuries, along with photographs of body areas not typically targeted for identification as the other regions may be more likely to show injuries (e.g. flippers and peduncle). PARTNERSHIPS SECTION TWO: Impacts The University of Redlands has continued to support the research efforts of the PI along with the students who are key members of the team. Data collected during Earthwatch expeditions has contributed to the senior thesis projects of many students in the biology and environmental science departments. In summer 2013, colleague Dr. Kimo Morris began assisting with collecting oceanographic data during transects. Dana Wharf whale watch, especially owner Donna Kalez and Captain Todd Mansur, have been incredibly supportive of our research efforts and we are working with their non-profit Gray Whale Foundation which takes students on educational whale watch trips. In summer 2014 we began working with David Carlisle owner of Catalina Coastal Tours to provide boat transects from Avalon on Catalina Island. For winter trips, Cabrillo Aquarium provided support by allowing access to their facilities as we used the library area to do our data entry and analysis. Cabrillo staff Diane Alps, Program Coordinator, and Bernardo Alps, Research Associate, have been important and active contributors to our research efforts. Voyager Expeditions (Redondo Beach, CA), a commercial whale watch company, continued to support our winter research efforts. We are continuing our collaboration with Cascadia Research Collective, and two researchers are co-authors on the Injury manuscript that is undergoing revisions for publication. In addition, we are developing new projects focused on the effects of whale watching on cetaceans. We continue to work with Monterey Bay Whale Watch and owner/researcher Nancy Black and collaborate by sharing data and images. We contribute photographs of coastal bottlenose sightings to the California Dolphin Online Program (CDOC), a collaborative effort to facilitate long-term studies of coastal bottlenose dolphins along the Pacific coast of California. CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONVENTIONS, AGENDAS, POLICIES, MANAGEMENT PLANS International PI gave a talk at the Society for Marine Mammalogy Biennial conference in Dunedin, New Zealand in December, This was very well received and has already resulted in collaborations with Ted Cheeseman of Cheeseman's Ecological Safaris and Oregon State Graduate student, Courtney Hann. Both have helped to expand use of Whale mapp worldwide, including extensive data collection in Dominica, Alaska, and plans for Antarctica. National or regional PI served on the Steering committee to help organize the Southern California Marine Mammal Workshop funded by the Pacific Life Foundation. Attended workshop in February 2014 along with student staff (Tanya Camper and Georgina Stone) and presented two posters. PI presented a talk at the Southern California Academy of Sciences meeting in June, PI presented a talk at the Society for Conservation GIS conference in July All meetings facilitated discussions of research activities and potential collaborations. Local PI was an invited speaker at the Orange County chapter of the American Cetacean Society in summer PI was the keynote speaker for the Earth Day activities at San Bernardino Valley College in April, 2014.

18 DEVELOPING ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS The University of Redlands students who assist on this project have benefitted greatly, both in terms of the assistance provided by volunteers to their individual research questions, but also by gaining experience in a professional research setting. Volunteers frequently comment on the poise and maturity of my students. During the summer program especially, these students took on significant leadership responsibilities and roles which greatly increased their confidence and skill sets. Senior Thesis Projects: Tanya Camper - Summer research & B.S. thesis (2014): Photo-ID analysis of Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population and distribution in Southern California Georgina Stone - Summer research & Johnston B.S. thesis (2014): Bottom-up development of best practices in the whale watch industry Taylor Dee - B.S. thesis (in progress): "Behavioral analysis of dolphin species in the Southern California Bight" Haley Thiltgen B.S. thesis (in progress): California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) behavior in Dana Point Harbor; the effects of human interaction CONSERVATION OF TAXA 1) Gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus 2) First great whale to be removed from the US Endangered Species List. Biologically significant as they are considered ecosystem sentinels due to their long-distance migration which provides insight into human disturbances. They also act as umbrella species as they are culturally significant in Mexico, the US, and Canada, and their protection also protects coastal habitats. 1) Blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus 2) Endangered species; they are the largest animal to have ever lived and have been observed more frequently in coastal waters off Southern California in the last decade. 1) Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae 2) They undergo an extensive migration and are well-known due to their acrobatics and vocalizations. Endangered status is under debate. 1) Fin Whales, Balaenoptera physalus 2) Endangered species; they can be found in our local coastal waters year-round. 1) Common dolphins, long-beaked Delphinus capensis, and short-beaked Delphinus delphis. 2) The ecology of the two species is very similar, so they are often grouped together which means that there is a lack of data on distribution and abundances of each distinct species. They live in pods ranging from less than fifty to thousands and are commonly observed in the study area. 1) Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus 2) Bottlenose are culturally significant as they can be observed from the coast and are well-known to the public from Flipper and their roles in sea life parks. 1)Risso s Dolphin, Grampus griseus 2)This species is not well studied but frequently observed harassing other marine mammal species. 1) Harbor seals, Phoca vitulina 2) Coastal animals that are commonly seen but they face human pressure as they can be scared away from breeding haul-outs that are utilized by humans. There is an ongoing debate in La Jolla regarding access to the only mainland rookery in Southern California. 1) California sea lions, Zalophus californianus 2) There are continual conflicts with fisheries both in terms of entanglements and perceived competition which may result in intentional kills. 3) Note: This applies to all of the above species Our impact is focused on assessing the risks to these populations. We are documenting their distribution patterns, activities, habitat use, and with our photo-id catalogues we can inform knowledge of site fidelity, stock structure, and estimates of local population sizes. CONSERVATION OF HABITATS Although our research is not directly focused on enhancing, restoring, or maintaining habitats per se, we are examining the relationship between habitat and species distribution patterns. Our efforts provide essential data on habitat use by species which can be used to help protect their natural habitats since marine mammals serve as umbrella species. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES This project should enhance ecosystem cultural services through adding information value to recreation and ecotourism. IMPACTING LOCAL LIVELIHOODS We contribute to the economy of the local communities in Dana Point, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, and Catalina Island. We stay in local hotels, rental properties, eat at local restaurants, buy groceries from local stores, and conduct our research from whale watch vessels. As much as possible we try to work with individually and locally-owned businesses. LOCAL COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES Local people are now able to contribute to data collection by using the mobile and web based application, Whale mapp. It is currently still undergoing beta testing by select volunteers, but will soon be released to the general public. This will aid in outreach education and assist with research for conservation efforts.

19 DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS Scientific peer-reviewed publications Stelle, L.L., King, M.* (in press, expected June 2015) Whale mapp: Citizen Scientists Contribute and Map Marine Mammal Sightings. Chapter in Ocean Solutions, Earth Solutions, ESRI Press, Redlands, CA. Grey literature and other dissemination CONFERENCES: Stelle, L.L., King, M.* Whale mapp: Engaging Citizen Scientists to Contribute and Map Marine Mammal Sightings (talk) Society for Conservation GIS Annual Conference, Monterey, CA, July 11-13, 2014 Stelle, L.L., King, M.* mapping Whales: Citizen Scientists Contribute and Map Marine Mammal Sightings (talk) Southern California Academy of Sciences 107th Annual Meeting, Camarillo, CA. May 2-3, 2014 Stelle, L.L., King, M.* Whale mapp: Citizen Scientists Contribute and Map Marine Mammal Sightings (talk) Society for Marine Mammalogy 20th Biennial Conference, Dunedin, New Zealand, Dec. 9-13, 2013 Stelle, L.L., King, M.* Whale mapp: Citizen Scientists Contribute and Map Marine Mammal Sightings (lightning talk) ESRI Ocean GIS Forum, Redlands, CA, Nov. 5-7, 2013 King, M.*, Flewelling, D. and Stelle, L.L. Managing Marine Mammal Observations Using a Geographic Information Approach (talk) Society for Conservation GIS Annual Conference, Monterey, CA, July 16-18, King, M.*, Flewelling, D. and Stelle, L.L. Managing Marine Mammal Observations Using a Geographic Information Approach (poster) ESRI International User Conference, San Diego, CA, July 8-12, Camper, T.**, Stone, G.** and Stelle, L.L. Behavioral Analysis and Distribution of Marine Mammals in Southern California (poster) Pacific Life Foundation s Southern California Marine Mammal Workshop, Newport, CA, Jan 31-Feb 1, Stelle, L.L., and King, M.* Whale mapp: Engaging Citizen Scientists to Contribute and Map Marine Mammal Sightings (poster) Pacific Life Foundation s Southern California Marine Mammal Workshop, Newport, CA, Jan 31-Feb 1, Stone, G.**, Camper, T.** and Stelle, L.L. Behavioral Analysis and Distribution of Marine Mammals in Southern California (poster) Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research, Whittier College, Nov. 23, 2013.

20 PROJECT FUNDING SECTION THREE: Anything else We are completing our California Coastal Commission Whale Tail Grant awarded over $32,000 over 2 years to expand Whale mapp. The funding was primarily for the programmer to refine the mobile application and develop the website. Funds were also allocated to the PI for development of the educational curriculum and assessment. We are planning to apply for a grant from the Marine Mammal Commission to add features to Whale mapp and create an ios version. University of Redlands awarded the PI a Faculty Research Grant to purchase a new field laptop (Surface pro 3) for data collection from the boat. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS University of Redlands University of Redlands Stauffer Science Center Summer Research Program Dana Wharf Whale Watch Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Voyager Expeditions 22nd Street Landing Whale Watch Catalina Coastal Tours Mountain & Sea Adventures USC Wrigley Station Diane Alps Bernardo Alps Dr. Kimo Morris Captain Larry Hartmann Captain Todd Mansur Captain Dave Carlisle

21 Earthwatch Institute 114 Western Avenue Boston, MA U.S.A earthwatch.org facebook.com/earthwatch twitter.com/earthwatch_org