3/18/10

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posted by NEAQ at 6:22 PM 0 Comments



3/16/10

#41 Our New Ride

It might be nearing the end of the season, but not everything is old hat. Our faithful Cessna Skymaster N6263F was downed for routine maintenance last week, so we were flown in a replacement plane: N5CS. The switch is bittersweet; 63F became very dear to us as we spent hours upon hours packed securely inside, learning all of its nuances. However, 5CS has some nice burgundy leather seats and a quieter cabin-- not that silence matters much since we always have our flight headsets on.

Our new plane with lonely 63F in the background. Photo Credit: Kelly Slivka.

It's very hard work to prepare a plane for surveying, since our unique purpose for flying creates unique needs in the plane. Days are spent wiring the GPS, the radios, the computer, and our headphones in order to allow for us to collect data and operate while not taking our eyes off the sea. Our pilot Mike even had to borrow our field house's oven to cut a special window that will hinge open, allowing us to photograph clearly. I'm ever-impressed with the dedication of everyone involved in this project.

One of my favorite aspects of field work is the need for constant adaptability. Never a dull moment here on the calving grounds!

-Kelly


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posted by Kelly at 10:06 PM 0 Comments



3/14/10

#40 Whale-Vessel Interactions

With a total of 15 sightings and approximately 35 individual right whales, Suzie and I were certainly busy during one of our Central EWS surveys this past week. Adding to the hectic day was the fact that most of these animals were located approximately 3-7 nautical miles east of the St. Johns Channel, which put them at high risk of being struck by recreational boats heading inbound to the St. Johns River. We had 5 "whale-vessel interactions," which occurs when a vessel comes within 500 yards of a right whale. Since it is against federal law to approach a right whale within 500 yards, these "interactions" are documented and reported to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the agency under NOAA that oversees the care and management of living marine resources in U.S. waters. In the photo below, you can see a group of animals near the St. John Channel, seemingly oblivious to the inbound vessel traffic all around them.





The recreational vessels were hailed over the marine radio, informed of the relative location of the animals, and notified of the 500-yard approach rule for right whales. Eventually, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) dispatched an enforcement vessel to intercept recreational vessels moving too quickly through the area and to help avoid whale-boat interactions. Fortunately, no whales were struck that day thanks to NEAq actions, FWC efforts, and the cooperation of many recreational boaters and fisherman off the coast of Florida.

-Karen


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posted by Karen at 1:36 PM 0 Comments



3/11/10

#39 See Ya Later, Alligator

Tuesday was a dearly beautiful day on the waters off Northern Florida, and I took advantage of a third opportunity to venture out on a biopsy cruise with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. (Read about biopsy cruises in this blog.)

Near noontime one of the survey planes radioed in to us with a sighting of an adult right whale who had never been biopsied in its 21 years of life, so we steered northeast toward where the whale was seen by the plane. About an hour and a half later we were pulling up to the spot of the sighting, about 20 miles off Brunswick, Georgia, and we slowed to survey the area to try to relocate the whale. I was in the lookout tower at this point, and I scanned the horizon for whitewater or a spout, tell-tale signs that we'd found our target whale. For miles and miles in every direction there was nothing but deep green water and pale blue sky.


Photo Credit: Kelly Slivka.

Suddenly I felt the biopsy boat shudder to a crawl and I peered ahead of us. Something strange was floating in the water 50 feet from the bow. It was brownish in color and roughly textured, and I initially though it to be the trunk of a palm tree. One of us shouted that maybe it was an old tire, and as we got closer, Clay, who was steering the boat, offhandedly commented that it looked like a dead alligator.

Well, he was more right than any of us would have ever imagined. As we pulled up alongside the mysterious object its nature became clear to us, and we suffered initially from absolute disbelief: here, in wide open waters where we expected to see whales, swam a large, very-much-alive alligator! It's hard to say if it just didn't read its map right or if it was exploring new horizons, but it was certainly one of the more bizarre things I've ever seen out in the ocean.


View Alligator Sighting in a larger map
Map displays the approximate location of our sighting of the sea-worthy alligator, 20 miles off shore from Brunswick, GA.


-Kelly

(Check out this previous blog of a great white shark sighting!)

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posted by Kelly at 11:33 AM 5 Comments



3/9/10

#38 Far Out!

The past week or two we have been having a lot of right whale sightings farther out to sea. Mostly, the right whales on the calving grounds like to hang out in the near-shore, shallow waters within 20 miles from shore, but lately we've noticed that the clear, deeper blue waters over 20 miles from shore seem to be more popular.



This trend is a bit of a treat for us, as off-shore waters are much more translucent and beautiful than the murkier in-shore waters, which are usually mucked up by the many river deltas up and down the coast. The accompanying photos were taken out in the deep blue and allow for a marvelous look at the whales' bulky bodies as they coast beneath the surface.




Photo credits: New England Aquarium; Kelly Slivka (top) and Karen Vale (bottom left and right).

-Kelly


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posted by Kelly at 3:34 PM 2 Comments



3/7/10

#37 A Year in the Life of a Callosity

By now, most of our blog readers know that the waters off Amelia Island where we fly our aerial surveys are the only known calving grounds for the North Atlantic right whale and we often use this forum to provide updates on our latest mother-calf sightings. In a previous entry, Karen mentioned that the distinctive callosity patterns of right whales are not present at birth. That is, they develop over time, stabilizing after about a year into a topography that can be used for the purposes of identification. Given that these callosities are the primary means by which we identify individual whales, you may be wondering how we keep track of calves as they mature.

In this blog, examine for yourself the development of one individual's callosity in the series of images posted here; first, in the waters off the coast of Georgia, as a calf of a little more than one month in age (above); second, about 6 months later in the Bay of Fundy (below); and third, at 11 months of age with a distinctive callosity, seen back here in the calving grounds still with its mother (bottom).

Callosities are large patches of raised epithelial tissue, gray or black in color. They are composed of cornified skin, like a callus, and they form in many of the same places as hair does on men (i.e, along the jaw and above the eyes and lips). This tissue eventually becomes infested with thousands of light-colored cyamids (whale lice) which contrasts against the surrounding areas of black skin, thereby defining the callosity outline. (Check out this other blog to see an incredible close-up photo of whale lice, albeit a different species which colonizes the Southern Right Whales rather than the North Atlantic right whale.)

When a calf is born, a different species of cyamid, orange in color, is thought to be transferred to the calf from the mom's genitalia and mammary slits. These orange cyamids (shown in the above image of the 7-month-old) have no free-swimming stage but do move around on the calf, often concentrating on the lip ridges and other areas of the head; however, the location of these cyamids bears no correspondence to the whale's adult callosity topography. As the calf matures, the light-colored cyamids transfer from the mother and begin colonizing the calf in the areas of the cornified skin, developing into a callosity pattern which can be used to identify individuals. For instance, in the adjacent picture, the 11-month-old (shown on left) would be described as having a 'broken callosity, with long peninsular coaming (LPC), no lip callosities, and 2 post-blowhole-callosites'. (See more about Right Whale Head Codes here.). Interestingly enough, the mother (seen on the right) also has a very similar callosity pattern, except that she has a single post-blowhole callosity. This lends even more credence to Philip's speculation that whales may inherit callosity patterns from their parents. Learn about right whale photo-id in depth here and practice your own matching skills with the Aquarium's interactive Right Whale Matching Game. You may also like the Aquarium's callosity page for a great look at cyamids.

Photo Credit for top image: Stephanie Grassia, Wildlife Trust. Taken under a Scientific Research Permit issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service/NOAA.

Photo Credit for middle image: Marilyn Marx, New England Aquarium

Photo Credit for bottom image: Suzie Hanlan, New England Aquarium


-Suzie

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posted by Suzie at 6:20 AM 0 Comments



3/4/10

#36 Skittle's Calf

Kelly and Suzie both recently blogged about Skittle's (#3260) newborn calf and our incredible opportunity to see rarely seen behaviors thought only to occur shortly after birthing takes place. Read more details about this day here and here. A few days after we first sighted Skittle with her new calf, Kelly and I spotted a Surface Active Group (SAG) of approximately 8 animals. It appears that Skittle was the focal female of this SAG - and to our dismay, she was sighted without her calf! In the photo below, you can see Skittle belly up in the center of the SAG.

At this time, we are uncertain whether the calf is still alive but since the small calf was not seen by the observers in the plane, the individuals in the biopsy boat (who biopsy darted one of the individuals (#3190) in the SAG that day), or our ground contact who reviewed the more than 100 photos of the SAG, we believe that it did not survive. This means that Skittle's calf must have died sometime between our first sighting of the calf on February 24th and the day we obseved the SAG on March 1st. Despite the sadness of this event, the data we were able to collect concerning Skittle, her calf, and the remarkable post-birth behaviors is valuable information that will give scientists a better understanding of the biology and ecology of right whales.

Photo Credit: New England Aquarium; Karen Vale

-Karen


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posted by Karen at 6:00 PM 2 Comments



3/2/10

#35 The Flexibility to Save a Species

I'm not sure if we've yet communicated this in the blog, but North Atlantic right whales on the calving grounds this season have been distributed in an atypical fashion. Usually the Central EWS area--the area the Aquarium team surveys--has the highest density of right whales during the season. In fact, the density of right whales in our EWS area at least doubles the density in the northern and southern EWS areas. However, this year the highest density of whales seems to be farther south, not just down in the southern EWS area, but even farther than that. Whales have frequently been sighted off of and south of Cape Canaveral. I'm not sure why the whales appear to be distributed farther south than normal this year (it could be water temperature due to cold weather and/or a change in the boundaries of the Gulf Stream), but I am glad the management plans that are in place to help protect right whales on the calving grounds have the flexibility to adapt to the unpredictability of these wild animals. This flexibility continues to keep right whales safe, no matter where they are.

In the map below, the unshaded area is the EWS area (North, Central, and South combined) which typically houses the densest distribution of right whales on the calving grounds. The shaded area shows where many sightings have taken place this year, much farther south than usual.


View Northern Florida in a larger map

Below is a figure that shows where new "Dynamic Management Areas" (DMAs) have been placed outside of the usual "Seasonal Management Areas" (SMAs). SMAs are in place between specific dates off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida during which right whales can be found in these waters. Within the management area and between the specific dates, vessels are told to exercise caution and maintain low speeds in order to minimize the risk of colliding with a right whale. But the placement of voluntary DMAs ensures that the whales are protected by SMA measures even if they are found outside of the SMA areas.

Dynamic Management Area (DMA) map provided by NOAA/NMFS

Definitely check out this diagram constructed by NOAA/NMFS that integrates all the right whale sightings throughout this season with a map of coastal sea surface temperatures.

Learn more about NOAA's efforts to protect right whales in the Southeast here and here.

-Kelly



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posted by Kelly at 5:46 PM 0 Comments



2/28/10

#34 Worry Turns to Wonderment

As Kelly mentioned in her last blog entry, we lucked out on a recent survey and witnessed a first-time mother, Skittle (she's #3260 if you want to search for her in the Right Whale Catalog) with her newborn calf. Karen did a fantastic job of spotting her from over 3 miles away but when we approached the vicinity, we were initially alarmed by the whale's behavior. She was swimming in tight circles, occasionally head-lifting, frequently diving just below the surface and repeatedly thrashing her peduncle and flukes in and out of the water. Karen examined the photographs and saw no evidence of entanglement or injury, and so we continued to circle in the plane above looking for clues.

More than once, we wondered aloud whether there was a second whale with her but given the white water produced by the whale's behavior, it was a while before we were able to spot the tiny calf right next to her. Skittle kept her calf on the inside of the circle (see photo) and although we witnessed the calf swimming on its own, we also saw the mother diving just below the surface and lifting the calf on her back out of the water! This rarely witnessed behavior, thought to occur only shortly after birth, has only been seen once before in a North Atlantic right whale in 2005 by Jess and Monica who were fortunate enough to observe the full birthing event (see the associated Q&A here). We are happy to report that we video-taped this recent occurrence and hope to share it with you in the near future.

- Suzie

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posted by Suzie at 9:58 PM 0 Comments



2/27/10

#33 DO NOT RELEASE BALLOONS

It's been about 2 weeks since Valentine's Day was observed throughout the U.S. and many other countries. All day long, love and affection among family, friends, and especially significant others was celebrated. However, this wonderful celebration can also have harmful affects on marine animals. During the last few days, NEAq observers have frequently witnessed evidence of Valentine's Day in the form of pink and red balloons scattered throughout the Central EWS survey area.

Balloons are detrimental to marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds because they can oftentimes be mistaken for jellyfish or other prey (plastic bags pose the same problem). Marine animals ingest this non-biodegradable material (typically rubber or Mylar) and then can't digest it. This causes intestinal blockage, which ultimately leads to starvation. Not only can balloons and other marine debris be ingested, but it can entangle marine animals as well.

So next Valentine's Day, or any other holiday, avoid purchasing balloons or at least be sure they are disposed of appropriately and do not end up in the marine environment. In addition, if you see balloons or other marine debris out on the water or on the beach, if possible, pick it up and dispose of it properly. To read more about the problem of marine debris click here.

Click here to read a blog entry from the Aquarium's seasonal Whale Watch Log where naturalists spotted balloons right next to where a whale was feeding! Find out what other marine animals can be harmed by helium balloons here.

-Karen

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posted by Karen at 11:22 AM 0 Comments



2/24/10

#32 Update: More Recruits to Motherhood

Just because it's late in the North Atlantic right whale calving season doesn't mean we're done seeing new mothers! In fact, in the past week Southeast surveyors have added four new moms to the list, including one this morning, #3260. But it gets better: we had sighted #3260 yesterday morning at 11:50 without a calf and then saw her this morning at 9:50 with a calf! That means that we can narrow down the time of her calf's birth to a 22-hour window, and with great photo-documentation of the newborn we can learn a lot about a mysterious event--right whale calving. It's extremely rare to be able to see such a freshly born calf and its interactions with its mother, so this is a very exciting event for us and for right whale research in general.

Below is a photo of one of the two newest mothers in the Southeast that we've personally seen on Aquarium surveys: #2710. Click here to search for and learn about identified whales in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog. Tune in for a blog (including photos!) about #3260's newborn calf from one of my teammates who witnessed it herself.



Photo Credit: New England Aquarium; Suzie Hanlan


-Kelly


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posted by Kelly at 4:17 PM 0 Comments



2/23/10

#31 Ground Zero

During our aerial surveys, we get an important perspective on North Atlantic right whales. Aerial photographs provide a full view of the right whales' callosities, entire body shots that often show us unique scars or fresh wounds, and even fishing gear that can be wrapped around a whale in places that are hard to see from the water, like the flippers.

However, after seeing whales from one thousand feet up in the sky, it's a special treat to have an up-close encounter with living, breathing right whales from the water. Earlier this week I had an opportunity to join the biopsy team for a day of research on the waters off Jacksonville, FL. We spent the majority of our day with one particular individual, a young-looking whale who meandered around for a few hours as we stayed close behind.

Though the whale generally kept its distance, during one surfacing we were able to approach for photographic documentation. At this point I was the one taking paper data, and as the whale mellowly began to display some unusual behavior, there was a lull in written data collection that allowed me to enjoy my proximity to and experience with such a unique and rare animal, and I was able to pull out my personal camera and take a short video. In this video the whale has maneuvered itself perpendicularly in the water and is lifting its chin briefly into the air before sinking back down under the surface. You can see the whale's right chin callosity, a couple mandibular islands, a little bit of the right bonnet callosity, and a peak at a white chin.




Video taken under NMFS permit #775-1875. Please note: It is illegal to approach a North Atlantic right whale within 500 yards (50CFR 224.103(C).


-Kelly


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posted by Kelly at 7:00 AM 1 Comments



2/19/10

#30 Meet a Pilot: Ryan Hagins

Ryan Hagins is the Aquarium's newest pilot and has been flying the Central EWS surveys since 2009. Ryan was born and raised near Fernandina Beach, Florida. After graduating from ATP (Airline Transport Professionals) Flight School in Jacksonville, Florida in 2008, he has been employed with Environmental Aviation and Eagle Cap Aviation. He has been flying for 3.5 years.

In addition to flying for NEAq, he has had some interesting opportunities over the past few years. Beginning in 2008, he has flown jump planes in air shows for skydivers throughout the states of Florida and Georgia.

Additionally, in 2008, he had the opportunity to fly ship shock trials for the U.S. Navy off the coast of Florida. Ship shock trials are when Navy ships (either new types or ones with significant modifications) are subjected to a series of tests that determine whether it can withstand sea combat. The shock trials involve the detonation of explosive charges near the ship, along with an analysis of the effects on the ship. In order to prevent detrimental effects of these tests on marine mammals and turtles (learn about different types of sea turtles here, here and here) in the surrounding area, aerial surveys are carried out. Ryan piloted these aerial surveys to be sure the area was clear of marine animals.

While he enjoys all aerial work, he is particularly proud of the conservation-based projects he has been involved with, especially his work with NEAq. As with all of our pilots, Ryan's involvement in the Central EWS surveys is an integral part of protecting right whales off the coast of Florida.

- Karen and Ryan


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posted by Karen at 11:37 AM 0 Comments



2/16/10

#29 Motherhood

From a research perspective, a season on the calving grounds is foremost about mothers and calves. The proximity of the North Atlantic right whale calving grounds to land gives scientists an extremely unique and important opportunity to keep track of the health and viability of a species teetering on the edge of extinction. During our surveys we have the chance to see right whale calves sometimes days after they are born, and with luck we can eventually add the young whales to the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog and keep track of them for decades to come. In order to facilitate the most complete knowledge and tracking of the little individuals born into the critical legacy of a (hopefully) recovering species, the biopsy boats in the EWS area primarily target mother/calf pairs. Once a calf is at least a month old, a skin sample can be collected from it and analyzed for its health and DNA. If every new calf is successfully biopsied this season, we have a genetic fingerprint that, among many other purposes, could allow future researchers to follow each calf's own reproductive successes for generations of right whales to come.

Photo Credit: Kelly Slivka

Last season there were a record number of right whale mother/calf pairs seen on the calving grounds: 39. This may have been around a 10% increase in the entire population! So far this season, however, we have 10 mothers toting new calves around Georgia and Florida waters. Though we expect to have a few more mother/calf pairs identified by the end of the season, this lower number of pairs is not necessarily cause for alarm. Fluctuations such as this are natural in populations both big and small, and researchers have seen ups and downs in the number of new calves many times throughout the past two decades of thorough right whale research. Below is a slide show of the new mothers we have seen in our EWS area already. Above is a photograph of the chart in our field house where we post composite drawings of all the new mothers and keep careful track of whether their calves have been "darted" (biopsied) yet or if a sample is still needed.




-Kelly


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posted by Kelly at 6:04 PM 0 Comments



2/15/10

#28 Meet The Pilot: Mike Vigus

This is the first in a series of blog entries about our talented and dedicated pilots. Without them, our Central EWS surveys would not be possible. If you're interested in the aerial aspect of biology-based field work, this is your chance to ask the more technical questions about flying or just learn a little something new. As always, please feel free to address your queries in the comments section. Thanks to Karen's insightful questions (and bribes of cookies!), we are happy to introduce you all to Pilot Mike Vigus:

How long have you been flying?
I took my first lesson in 1980 but couldn't afford to continue flying. I began training again and soloed in 1985. Then, I received my first paid flying job in 1990 flying skydivers.

How long have you been flying with NEA? How did you start working for NEA? What do you think of the job? Favorite aspect of the job?
I flew for the Florida team in 2000, and then in 2004 long-time NEA pilot Ron Salmon recruited me to fly with him on the NEA contract. I love flying marine mammal surveys; I wish it was a year round job. There are many facets of the job that I enjoy. One aspect of the job is working with the observers; they are intelligent, humorous and have interesting experiences and knowledge to share. Also, their enthusiasm and commitment to their work is admirable. Another is seeing the whales do what they do. It's amazing to see mom/calf interactions, or a group of whales sagging (i.e., in a surface active group), or seeing a whale breach. Another is feeling like I'm a small part of something that makes a big difference, like the part the aerial team plays during a disentanglement effort or preventing a ship strike. It's very rewarding.

How did you become interested in becoming a pilot?
It was pretty natural for me; I built model planes as a kid, and have always been interested in mechanical things. I took my first flying lesson a week after graduating high school, then it just took me a while to figure out a way to fund the remainder of the training.

What is the most interesting job you ever had?
What, do you mean like the time I was Demi Moore's "cabana boy"???

Any other interesting flying jobs?
Year round I fly for the City of Jacksonville Mosquito Control Division. There I fly planes and helicopters in an effort to minimize the spread of infectious diseases by reducing mosquito populations and breeding.

Any other biology related jobs?
The mosquito control work has a lot of biology in it. Many of the products we use are not poisons, some are bacteria that specifically attack mosquito larva, and some are growth regulators that disrupt the mosquitoes life cycle. Not all mosquitoes are active at the same time, so we time the application of pesticide to the specific species of mosquito for maximum effectiveness, to minimize the amount of pesticide released in the environment. Sometimes we take no action on a mosquito breeding site based on the number of predators living in the site like pollywogs, fish, and dragon fly larva knowing that they will keep the number of mosquito larva at the site from getting out of hand.

Anything else worth mentioning?
It's not flying related, but years ago I was a lumberjack in the Sahara forest.

-Karen


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posted by Suzie at 9:00 AM 0 Comments



2/13/10

#27 Our First Mom

Yesterday, we had a very slow and quiet survey day. We had almost completed the entire survey without any sightings, when on our last survey line, we had a special sighting. We had come across whale #1701 (Aphrodite) - the very first mom we saw this season. (Click here to search for #1701 in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog.)

As you can see from the photo below, her calf is getting a lot bigger and is even beginning to form a callosity pattern on its head. We first saw Aphrodite with her calf on January 11, 2010, so her calf is estimated to be a little over a month old. A calf's callosity emerges shortly after birth (the black roughened skin on its head, chin and lip) but this pattern typically doesn't stabilize for about a year. As you can see with #1701's calf, it's already forming a very distinctive callosity pattern.


Check back with the blog throughout this week to read an upcoming post further exploring the mother/calf pairs in the Southeast.

Photo Credit: New England Aquarium; Karen Vale


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posted by Karen at 10:44 AM 0 Comments



2/10/10

#26 A Jaw-Dropping Habit

As we've mentioned before, North Atlantic right whales aren't visiting the waters of the Southeastern United States in order to feed. Rather, coastal Florida and Georgia are the calving grounds, warm, shallow water where mothers gather to birth their calves.

Right whales feed in the waters off of New England and eastern Canada where their prey, tiny crustaceans called copepods, amass in dense columns in the water. In order to feed, these whales create a kind of vacuum with their gaping mouths, swimming through the water with their jaws dropped and their lips apart and letting a basic law of physics filter copepods from the seawater as it streams through their hundreds of baleen plates.


Photo Credit: New England Aquarium, Kelly Slivka

Since whales feed by plowing through the sea with their mouths open, it's rare to see a whale exhibiting this mouth-open behavior down here on the calving grounds, as there's really nothing for them to eat in this part of the sea. It was curious and amusing, therefore, to see a juvenile whale (above) bopping around with its mouth wide open the other day, a sight with which aerial observers in the Northeast are much more familiar.


Photo Credit: New England Aquarium, Zach Swaim

Even more amusing, though, was discovering that this particular whale is a habitual jaw-dropper. As I attempted to match the whale, found to be the 2008 calf of #3292, to its likeness in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, I again saw pictures of this spunky juvenile (above) with its mouth wide open, taken in these same waters almost one year ago to the day by the Aquarium's aerial team.

-Kelly


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posted by Kelly at 3:00 PM 1 Comments