The Newsletter of the Southeastern United States Implementation Team
for the Recovery of the Northern Right Whale
Volume 2, Number 1 May 1995
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC POPULATION OF RIGHT WHALES IS
INCREASING
In studies on the status of wild animal populations, usually the most
important question that is asked is: is the population growing?
stable? or declining? In populations where animals cannot be
individually identified, or only a portion of the population is
observed, this question is answered based on a best estimate of
reproductive rates and mortality rates using data collected from a
segment of the population and extended to the estimated whole
population, or other methods.
In the North Atlantic right whale population, we have the unusual and
ideal situation in that we have photographically identified a large
majority of the population. After 16 years of research, it is an
infrequent event that we observe a right whale of unknown age that we
have never seen before. This is what leads us to believe that most of
the population is known.
With this data, we have conducted analyses on the reproductive and
mortality rates to come up with an annual rate of increase for this
endangered population. To determine the reproductive rate, the number
of calves born into the population is tallied for each year. Data is
collected from the calving ground in the southeast U. S. as well as
northern feeding grounds off Cape Cod, northern Maine, and southern
Nova Scotia. This annual number of calves is divided by the total
population count for that given year to give the Gross Annual
Reproductive Rate.
For the mortality rate, the number of documented and presumed
mortalities are tallied for each year. Presumed mortalities occur
when a whale has not been observed for five years. In the sixth year,
they are listed as a presumed mortality. Certainly, if the animal in
question were ever observed again, it would quickly be taken off this
list, but our data indicate that this happens infrequently. These
mortalities are also divided by the total population number for the
given year to come up with a Mortality Rate.
The trick here is to back count. If you have a count for the
population level today, you can back count by subtracting the calves
born in the present year and adding the mortalities for the present
year (since the animals were supposedly alive last year) to get the
population count for the previous year. For example, in 1992, the
population size based on photographic data of animals presumed to
still be alive was 295. In 1992, 12 calves were born and 7
mortalities were tallied, therefore the population number in 1991
equals 290 (12-7=5; 295-5=290). To obtain the population increase
rate, the change from 1991 to 1992 is divided by the population level
for 1992, i. e., 5 divided by 295 equals an increase of 0.017 or 1.7%
for that year. For the years 1987 through 1992, the population
increase rate averaged 2.5% for a net gain of 34 animals. While it
represents population growth, the figure is considered extremely low
for a population that should be in a recovery stage. And there is
some concern about the levels in 1993 and 1994 which showed a 1%
population increase and a 2.8% population decrease, respectively.
Both these years showed relatively low calving, and 1994 had a high
level of presumed mortality.
Given there is evidence of a slow increase in this right whale
population, there is cause for optimism for their future. Yet, it is
still important to maintain, and in some areas, increase the efforts
to minimize ship collisions, such as in the southeast; and we need to
continue the monitoring programs in all areas so we can keep track of
this species' progress and minimize any other potential conflicts
with human activities.
Amy Knowlton
University of Rhode Island
ADVANCE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING: NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT
WHALE PROTECTION
On December 27, 1994, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) in response
to a petition requesting the issuance of regulations that would
establish specific protection zones around every northern right whale
(and all other whales). NMFS solicited public comment and information
until February 27, 1995, to assist in determining the need for and
types of conservation measures that would be effective in minimizing
human-induced disturbance of and interaction with northern right
whales. In response to several requests for an extension of the ANPR
comment period, NMFS reopened the comment period on March 3, 1995,
for 30 days to provide the public additional opportunity to submit
suggestions and commentary.
A number of commenters simply responded with comments against or in
favor of the petition request. Notable resistance to implementation
of protective measures for species of cetaceans other than the
northern right whale was expressed and various requests were made for
consideration of exemptions of the petition's terms. Additionally,
several of the commenters claimed that the President's Executive
Order 12866 precluded NMFS from these regulations (the petition's
terms) since they lacked economic benefit and proper (prior)
investigation.
The majority of responses, however, have supported an integrated
conservation approach to curtail human-induced disturbance of right
whales. These commenters advocated reasonable and prudent
restrictions, such as protection zones, for the immediate protection
of the northern right whale, while promoting an education component
directed at those who are conducting activities which interact with
northern right whales. A research component to examine existing,
available and future technologies and methods which may lead to a
solution which allows human activities and these species to coexist
and prosper was also recommended. Emphasis was placed on the
suggestion that any whale protection regulations should be based on
science and applied on a species by species basis, varying as
necessary from area to area. commenters further suggested coupling
the protection zone concept with other existing or planned measures
to increase successful avoidance of right whale-vessel
interactions.
The ANPR comment period signified a notable opportunity to introduce
ANY ideas, recommendations, and commentary on potentially effective
measures to reduce the effects of directed vessel interactions on
right whales. NMFS will consider all suggestions and comments when
determining what conservation measures, if any at this time, would
provide feasible and effective protection to the northern right
whale.
Margot Bohan
Office of Protected Resources
National Marine Fisheries Service
EXCERPTS FROM COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED DISTANCE RULE
Editor's note: the following excerpts were selected from
comments submitted to NMFS on the proposed rulemaking described
in Margot Bohan's article, above. The selections are the
responsibility of the Editor. The complete comments may be
obtained by contacting the person quoted after each excerpt.
"..The impact of vessel disturbance due to vessel traffic and
associated noise near whales is not well understood, but...is a
legitimate and important concern. Management measures that
effectively reduce close approaches to right whales would help
address both types of impacts provided that the measures themselves
have no adverse effects....we suggest that the Service consider (1)
the practicality of such a measure for actually reducing close
approaches; (2) the extent to which the measures may complement or be
better addressed by other management actions designed to address the
issue; and (3) the value of the measure in different geographic areas
given right whale habitat use patterns and vessel traffic
patterns..."
John R. Twiss, Jr.
Executive Director
Marine Mammal Commission
202-606-5504
"There is currently no whale watching enterprise in the calving
grounds of Georgia and northern Florida due to the small number of
whales present and difficulty of locating them. However, the ongoing
research and aerial surveys to locate Right Whales during winter
calving and associated efforts to educate the public, and notify
vessels of whale location may indeed provide the link that would spur
private and commercial whale watching activities.... The Georgia
Conservancy urges the National Marine Fisheries Service to adopt
regulations that prohibit vessels from approaching Right Whales
within 500 yards...However, we believe the intent of any rule should
be to primarily address the whale watching industry at this time and
not the shipping industry..."
Rebecca R. Shortland
Vice President for Coastal Programs
The Georgia Conservancy
912-897-6462
"I support the implementation of measures to protect right whales and
prevent their harassment, including a 500 yard protection zone around
every right whale. However, provisions may be necessary for large
ocean-going vessel traffic transiting posted channels to and from
ports. I believe one of the greatest benefits of protection zones
around individual right whales would be the elimination of directed
whale watching activities on this species... I would like to submit
for consideration...a statement on the operation of aircraft within
proximity of right whales....Disallowing operation of any aircraft,
except for scientific research purposes, within 1,000 feet of any
right whale would be consistent with a similar minimum distance rule
for humpback whales in Hawaii..."
Terry W. Johnson
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program Manager
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
912-994-1438
SEVEN MOTHER/CALF PAIRS AND TWO RADIO-TAGGED WHALES
HIGHLIGHT THE 1994-95 CALVING SEASON
The right whale survey season started rather slowly due to weather.
Conditions for both the Savannah and the Brunswick to Jacksonville
surveys were unfavorable if not unflyable for most of December. In
fact, we completed only 18 surveys in the primary Early Warning
System (EWS) area and only half of those surveys were flown with
decent sighting conditions (Beaufort 3 or less).
Things began picking up in January, with most of the whales we were
to sight this year making an appearance at the head of the bay (that
is, if we think of the Georgia Bight as a large, exposed bay, opening
wide to the Atlantic). By January 15, we had sighted and identified
four of the six mother/calf pairs that were to be sighted in the EWS
area this season (a seventh mother/calf pair was sighted south of the
EWS area at the end of January by the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection - FL DEP.) It is unclear how many of these
calves were born in the immediate area of our survey but from past
records we know that some certainly are and that the calves we've
seen here in January often appear to be very young. This year, Bugs
(#1241; born 1982) was sighted alone off Savannah on December 5, 1994
and than reported as a mother with a calf by a shrimper off
Jacksonville Beach on January 3, 1995. By this time, we had
established contacts with the local commercial fishing community and
were routinely receiving reports from shrimpers in the area,
particularly the Mayport Fishermen's Association.
By the end of January, we had logged 29 of our 37 sightings, most of
those representing re-sightings of the previously mentioned four
mother/calf pairs. These whales loitered in the EWS area throughout
the month. It seems that mom likes to keep junior in this area, for
whatever reasons, at least while the calf is very young. These whales
seem to have a particular affinity for the area around the Kings Bay
Entrance Channel ocean disposal site about 10 miles offshore and 10
miles south of the channel. Fortunately, the Corps of Engineers, in
keeping with past policy, directed the hopper dredges working this
channel to slow their transits to and from the disposal site to five
knots or less on nights following right whale sightings or during
periods of restricted visibility. Such precautions may allow right
whales, with their molasses reaction times, to lumber out of the way
of the 400' dredge ships. Hopper dredges working in the Brunswick
Channel also followed the same protocol.
Sightings slowed in late January. It seems that the whales moved
further south and spread out along the coast of Florida. On January
27, Bill Brooks (FL DEP) and Mike Harris (Georgia Department of
Natural Resources) flew a survey down the coast of Florida and saw
three mother/calf pairs - one pair off Jacksonville Beach, one off
St. Augustine and a pair off the northern shore of Cape Canaveral.
This single day is indicative of the general dispersion of right
whales in the southeast at that point in the calving season.
Interestingly, that single day also accounts for almost half of the
mothers known to have calved this year.
Bill Brooks' aerial survey crew also sighted a mother and calf south
of Canaveral on February 1. They notified us, and with the swift and
generous support of the FL DEP (Brooks, Spellman and Wohlleber) and
the U. S. Coast Guard, Port Canaveral Group (Commander Willis, BMZ
Wade and crew), Scott Kraus and I were able to get to the site off
Cocoa Beach and successfully radio-tag the mother. She is known to us
as #1268, a whale rarely seen, last sighted in 1986. Several tracking
flights were conducted over the following two weeks but #1268
remained elusive. She showed up more than three weeks later, on
February 23, in the mouth of Jupiter Inlet (15 nm north of West Palm
Beach). It was a fine day offshore, clear skies and light winds, so
traffic into the inlet was intense that evening, as scores of large
sport-fishing boats barreled in from the Gulf Stream. The Florida
Marine Patrol thoughtfully responded by placing a patrol boat near
the mother and calf to direct traffic around them. By dark, they were
moving out of the inlet. Amy Perry (FL DEP), using manatee tracking
equipment tuned to the frequency of #1268's transmitter, was able to
monitor signals from a nearby bridge. Bill Brooks and the FL DEP
survey team sighted this whale the next afternoon. She was 25 nm
north of the inlet.
We tagged another whale, a mother with a calf, on February 27. Like
the first tagging excursion, the U. S. Coast Guard (this time Group
Mayport) provided invaluable assistance with one of its 41' cutters.
These vessels have proven to be excellent "catcher boats" and the
officers operating each of the cutters would have impressed any
Norwegian whaler with their prowess. At any rate, we tagged #1254
approximately 9 nm NE off the St. Johns River entrance channel
(Jacksonville). She had been sighted off Ormond Beach on February 16
and 60 nm north, off Jacksonville Beach on February 24... so
naturally we assumed that she was on her way to northern waters when
we sighted her offshore of the St. Johns River entrance channel on
February 26 and then tagged her north of there on February 27. When
we located her using tracking equipment the next day, she was about
seven miles SE of where she was tagged. We heard faint signals on
March 2 at the southernmost edge of the survey area but were unable
to locate her. However, the next day, the FL DEP survey crew picked
up signals on a survey down the coast and found #1254 at Ponce Inlet
(7 nm south of Daytona Beach), about 70 nm south of the survey area.
On March 7, they located her after picking up signals. She was off
Winter Beach, nearly 180 nm south of where she was tagged eight days
earlier. Another interesting fact about #1254 is that she was sighted
before calving, as was #1241, the only whale sighted during the
Savannah surveys (12/05/94).
Neither tagged animal has been observed up north yet, but no one has
gone out to look for them either (money is a problem).
All together, we saw six new calves this year, plus the mother/calf
which was sighted by the FL DEP, making the calf count seven this
season. A total of 23 different whales were seen. No doubt, it would
be encouraging to see more additions to the population... but that's
up to the whales. We simply need to make sure we're doing all we can
not to hinder them.
Chris Slay
Southeastern Research Coordinator
New England Aquarium
NAVTEX LINKS SPOTTERS TO SHIPS
During the 1994-95 calving season, the Early Warning System has
tapped into the NAVTEX system, thanks to the work of Barb Zoodsma (GA
Department of Natural Resources) and Mike Lieberum (U. S. Coast Guard
- Miami). Right whale sightings are faxed to the Aids to Navigation
office of the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami. From there, a one line
message giving position and time of the right whale sighting is sent
out by radio signal to NAVTEX receivers found on board most
commercial ships. (The Navy and Coast Guard receive the broadcasts
through their Message Traffic System.) The NAVTEX receivers print out
the message on adding machine-like paper. These printed messages are
easier for foreign captains to figure out than the direct radio
transmissions and they cover the entire southeast coastal area. The
messages also reach ship captains before they reach the right whale
calving ground; before NAVTEX, the first contact was through the
harbor pilots, when the vessel had already entered and transversed
the ground for several miles.
The sighting messages supplement the "right whale warning" that
appears weekly from December through March in the Local Notice to
Mariners. This warning states, in part: "vessels operating within 15
miles of shore between 31 15'N and 30 15' N and within five miles of
shore from 30 15'N and 28 N should take precautions to avoid
collisions with Right Whales. Mariners should maintain a distance of
500 meters from any whales sighted..."
It is hoped that by next season, the NAVTEX system will relay
sightings called in on Georgia and Florida's 1-800 numbers and will
include information on the whale's direction of travel. It is also
hoped that NAVTEX can be used in a similar fashion throughout the
range of the northern right whale. While NAVTEX is not foolproof (see
next story), it does offer promise as an effective communications
tool with commercial vessels drawing more than 15 feet of water. For
more information, call Barb Zoodsma at 912-264-7218 or Mike Lieberum
at 305-536-5621.
BLIMP CONTRIBUTES TO CONTINUED SUCCESS OF EARLY WARNING
SYSTEM
"The Early Warning System is either working or we've been lucky or
both; We've had no collisions this season and only one test." So
noted Chris Slay of the New England Aquarium at the recent meeting of
the Southeastern U. S. Implementation Team. The test that Chris Slay
referred to occurred on February 26 and involved the U. S. Navy
frigate USS Oliver Hazard Perry. An abbreviated version of the
story follows.
At 11:32 AM, the New England Aquarium survey team spotted a right
whale mother and calf about 12 miles east of the St. Johns River
entrance channel. They radioed the information to the Mayport Harbor
Control office. At 1:00 PM, the NEA plane landed and the information
was faxed to the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami, where a NAVTEX message
was then sent out. Unfortunately, the NAVTEX message was not received
by the frigate until 3:25 PM the following day. But all was not lost!
At 2:20 PM on the 26th, researchers Jim Hain and Sarah Ellis were
studying the mother/calf pair from the Family Channel's 132 foot-long
blimp piloted by Steve Kulinski. They sighted the Navy frigate
inbound for the channel and on a course that appeared likely to pass
close to the whales. The researchers radioed the frigate, advising
them of the presence of the right whales, and requested that they
change course to pass safely clear of the area. They did so
promptly.
While the aerial monitoring program conducted over these waters by
the New England Aquarium team has routinely contacted vessels about
the presence of right whales, this was the first time that a blimp
has actively participated in the Early Warning System network. The
unique capability of the blimp to remain positioned, unobtrusively,
near right whales makes it valuable not only for research but also
for warning activities of this type.
CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION
After the completion of the first season with the Early Warning
Survey Program, the Southeastern U. S. Implementation Team decided to
recognize the efforts of different agencies in regards to right whale
protection. A certificate of appreciation was designed by Barb
Zoodsma of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
The certificates were presented during the December 1994 training
seminars sponsored by the Implementation Team at the Ports of
Savannah, Brunswick, Fernandina, Jacksonville, and Canaveral and also
at the military facilities at Kings Bay, Mayport and
Jacksonville.
Specifically, Certificates of Appreciation were presented to the U.S.
Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for funding
the Early Warning Surveys. The Navy and the Coast Guard were also
recognized for their communication network for relaying locations of
right whales from the Early Warning Surveys through their harbor
operations.
The harbor pilots are a major key to the success of the Early Warning
System Program. Each harbor pilot association was recognized with a
Certificate of Appreciation: Savannah Pilots Association, Brunswick
Bar Pilots Association, Cumberland Sound Pilots Association, St.
Johns River Pilots Association, and Canaveral Pilots Association.
During the presentations, specific incidents of right whales being
avoided with the assistance of the pilots were chronicled.
Finally, each of the port authorities were recognized for their
proactive efforts to protect right whales: the Georgia Ports
Authority, Nassau Terminals, Jacksonville Port Authority and the
Canaveral Port Authority.
The Certificate of Appreciation from the Southeastern U. S.
Implementation Team will continue as an annual award. Criteria for
earning the award are currently being developed. Also, nominations
for the 1994-95 Certificate of Appreciation are currently being
accepted by the Implementation Team.
Bill Brooks
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR KINGS BAY NAVAL SUBMARINE
BASE
Renew America, a non-profit organization that identifies, verifies
and recognizes environmental excellence, has recently released
detailed information about innovative Department of Defense programs
at work across the nation for rebuilding and protecting the
environment. Their report, titled TODAY, America's Forces Protect
the Environment, demonstrates concrete examples of how the Armed
Forces are integrating new environmental management techniques and
procedures into their operations. The report identifies 212 military
environmental success stories around the country and highlights
twelve. One of the twelve featured success stories is the U.S. Navy's
"Doing Right by the Right Whale" initiative at the Kings Bay Naval
Submarine Base in Georgia. The report cites the base's active role on
the Southeastern U.S. Implementation Team and its Early Warning
System, acoustic research, charting and distributing whale sighting
information, promoting the right whale video for viewing and
refresher training for all crews, training seminars and educational
posters, leaflets and other material.
SOUTHEASTERN U.S. IMPLEMENTATION TEAM MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Members of the Southeastern U.S. Implementation Team for the Recovery
of the Northern Right Whale met in Brunswick, GA, on April 21 to
review the results of the 1994-95 calving season (see article above
by Chris Slay) and to discuss the Early Warning System and the
proposed Partnering Agreement. It was agreed that the subcommittee
chaired by Jerry Wallmeyer would continue to refine the Partnering
Agreement, focusing on (1) communications procedures between the
whale spotter/observer and the vessel operator and (2) procedures for
the vessel operator once a right whale had been reported. Another
draft should be ready for review by mid-summer. Other agenda items
included reports on NAVTEX by Mike Lieberum (USCG), the sightability
of right whales by Jim Hain (NEFSC, NMFS) and the computer program
Mosaic and what it can do for right whales by Risa Reddick (Dynamo).
For a copy of the minutes of the meeting, contact Barb Zoodsma at
912-264-7218.
SEUS TEAM CHANGES
Kathy Wang has joined the Southeastern U. S. Implementation Team,
representing the Protected Species Management Branch of the National
Marine Fisheries Service's Southeastern Regional Office; she replaces
Chuck Oravetz. Team member Lt. Dean Cousins is being reassigned to
Norfolk, VA; his replacement, LCDR Art Glover, arrives at Kings Bay's
Submarine Group Ten this summer.
NEW ENGLAND TEAM TO MEET
The next meeting of the New England Whale Recovery Plan
Implementation Team will be held on May 10, 1995 at the New England
Fishery Management Council office in Saugus, MA. The agenda will
include current research updates, reports from the subgroups on
vessel interaction/gear conflict and habitat characterization, and
discussion. For information on the meeting or for a summary of the
results, contact the new chairperson for the team,
Douglas W. Beach. His address: Habitat and Protected Resources
Division, Northeast Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, One
Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298; telephone: 508-281-9254;
fax 508-281-9301.
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE CONSERVATION AREAS: THE CANADIAN
CONNECTION
(Editor's note: as right whales return to feeding and breeding
areas off New England and Canada, protective efforts there move
into high gear. The next three articles describe some of the
activities designed to help right whales in Canadian waters.)
The government of Canada, through the Department of Fisheries and
Oceans (DFO), has the mandate to conserve and protect the marine
resources of Canada. The Northern Right Whale is one such resource.
This species, long considered to be one of the world's most
endangered large whales, is known to frequent the waters off Nova
Scotia in the summer and fall. Right whales have been seen in the
Grand Manan Basin, Bay of Fundy (between New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia) and in Roseway Basin near Browns-Baccaro Banks on the
southern Scotian Shelf (located about 50 miles south of the southern
tip of Nova Scotia) each year since 1980. The Bay of Fundy functions,
in part, as a right whale nursery where mothers bring their calves.
It is also an important area for feeding for juvenile whales. Roseway
Basin is important for feeding and mating. These areas are considered
to be two of the five areas critical to right whale survival (the
other three areas are in the U.S.).
The two major causes of mortality and injury to right whales have
been attributed to collisions with vessels and entanglement in
fishing gear. In order to provide an element of protection to these
whales, a project was undertaken with DFO in 1993 to provide mariners
with the information necessary to mitigate where and whenever
possible the number and severity of interactions between whales and
ships and fishing gear.
At present, the only protection for not only the Northern Right Whale
but all marine mammals in Canada is found within the Marine Mammal
Regulations which deal specifically with 'disturbance', a word that
is undefined in the legislation and a situation sometimes hard to
prove. Using existing research information from East Coast Ecosystems
(ECE; see article on page xxx) and Scott Kraus of the New England
Aquarium (NEA), the Bay of Fundy (Grand Manan Basin) and
Browns-Baccaro Banks (Roseway Basin) were identified as seasonally
sensitive areas from July to October.
In order to determine the use of these areas by both the shipping and
the fishing industry during this period, two questionnaires were
developed and mailed out to survey the use of these areas and assess
the effect limitations on fishing or transiting the area would have
on either industry. These questionnaires were mailed to 3006 fixed
gear fishermen, as it is this type of gear that poses the greatest
threat, and to 90 shipping companies that were deemed to utilize the
ports in the Maritimes and Quebec. There were 640 fishermen who
responded indicating for the most part that these proposed areas had
or have little or no impact on their fishing activity. Similarly, of
the 26 shipping companies that responded it was generally felt that
if guidelines were developed for vessels transiting these areas they
would be willing to comply. Some companies even suggested that
whenever possible their vessels would be directed to pass outside of
the areas in question.
As a result of the survey and the research information, the Canadian
Hydrographic Service has published guidelines for operating vessels
in right whale conservation areas in the Notices to Mariners and
Pilotage publications and will show the areas on the next issue of
nautical charts to be published in 1995. Canadian Coast Guard radio
stations have also been broadcasting the cautionary information to
vessels starting in June, 1993. In 1994, DFO published a pamphlet to
be distributed to all ship captains transiting the conservation areas
outlining guidelines for vessel operation in the vicinity of right
whales. Although this does not provide protection for the whales,
compliance with the vessel operation guidelines at this time being
voluntary, these conservation areas serve to alert mariners to the
presence of right whales and decrease the risk of a collision.
The next step in 1995 is to set up a program of "real-time reporting"
to vessels passing through the conservation area in the Bay of Fundy.
Sighting data from right whale surveys by ECE and NEA will be relayed
via the Fundy Traffic Control in Saint John, New Brunswick. Since we
suspect that right whales undertake their migrations singly or in
cow/calf pairs, it is these areas of aggregation where they are most
vulnerable to interactions with humans. It is also these areas where
protective measures will be most beneficial.
Moira Brown, Ph.D.
Executive Director
East Coast Ecosystems
and
Jerry Conway
Marine Mammal Coordinator
Scotia Fundy Region
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
CANADA'S RIGHT WHALE ADVOCATES: EAST COAST ECOSYSTEMS
Over 70% of the earth's surface is covered by ocean, but our
knowledge of the only mammals living there is still remarkably
limited. The purpose of East Coast Ecosystems (ECE), formed in 1986,
is to help fill in the gaps in our knowledge and increase public
awareness. ECE has three major goals: to finance and conduct
scientific research on right whales and other marine mammals in the
waters of Atlantic Canada, to present education programs based on the
research, and to encourage conservation measures that will reduce the
impact of human activities on marine mammals. Since 1986, we have
been collaborating on right whale research in Canadian waters with
the team from the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts.
Researcher Scott Kraus has been conducting surveys for right whales
in the Bay of Fundy since 1980 and was part of the survey team that
'rediscovered' right whales in the Bay of Fundy in 1979. Starting out
as a volunteer researcher in 1985, I was the first Canadian to work
with the U.S. team and saw a need for Canadian involvement. Over 50%
of the right whales, the most endangered large whale in the world,
spends the summer and fall in Canadian waters each year and yet very
few Canadians know anything of their existence. So ECE was formed to
raise funds for research and increase the awareness of students, the
general public and government policy-makers through an education
program, lectures, presentations, press releases, and documentary
films. So far, we have met with some success, by securing funding for
right whale surveys in the waters around southern Nova Scotia and by
encouraging the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to designate
seasonal conservation areas where right whales occur in Canadian
waters.
Moira Brown, Ph. D.
Executive Director
East Coast Ecosystems
THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE
East Coast Ecosystems is publishing The Right Perspective, a
newsletter for their North Atlantic Right Whale Adoption Program.
Articles in volume 1, number 1 (Spring and Summer, 1994) include
"Who's Where" (1993 sightings of adopted whales), "Adoption Program
Report," "Photo-Identification," "Summary of the 1993 Right Whale
Field Season" and "Cetacean Conservation in Taiwan - The First Step."
A copy of the newsletter can be obtained by writing ECE at P. O. Box
36, Freeport, Nova Scotia BOV 1BO, Canada.
RIGHT WHALE FILM HOPES
A camera crew with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
has been filming right whales as part of a video to be produced on
endangered species found within the state. The film crew has been
gathering such excellent footage that their goal now is to also
produce a film exclusively on right whales. Preliminary ideas are for
the film to depict the natural history of northern right whales along
the eastern seaboard of the U. S. and the problems they face.
Progress on the film has been slow as funding for the film is
extremely limited.
Jim Couch
Film Producer
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
JOURNEY NORTH ON THE INTERNET
What's a good sign of spring? Leaf-out on trees? The blooming of
tulips? The arrival of robins and monarch butterflies? They all are -
plus lots more. Journey North, an Internet-based learning adventure,
allows students to look for and report signs of spring in their
backyards - with a specific focus on the wonders of wildlife
migration. In addition to the student-generated information,
technical experts have been supplying information about other species
that have been making the northward trek out of sight of most of the
population.
As education coordinator for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary, I have been serving as the northern right whale and
humpback whale migration reporter. I contact a network of experts
from as far south as the Silver Bank Sanctuary in the Dominican
Republic and the New England Aquarium's right whale research group in
Florida and as far north as Memorial University in Newfoundland, to
get up-to-date reports on whale sightings. These weekly reports to
Journey North are then forwarded to over 700 schools and several
Internet servers that reach entire state school systems (including
Texas, Kentucky and Minnesota).
I believe this is one of the most exciting uses of the Internet I've
seen to date, because it allows students to take part in an on-going,
real-time study, while providing a wide range of interesting, timely
scientific information. I know that I've been learning a lot as I
prepare each report. I've also been able to include additional
information about Pacific Ocean whale populations with information
provided by the Channel Islands, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale and
Fagatele Bay (American Samoa) National Marine Sanctuaries. Mix
whales, Sanctuaries, and the Journey North project and you get an
ideal mechanism for marine education.
So, what's a good sign of spring? For the Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary the answer is: the return of the northern right
whales to Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank in March and April, and a
month or so later, the appearance of humpbacks from their winter
breeding grounds in the Caribbean Sea.
For more information on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary's education programs, contact me at 508-747-1691, fax
508-747-1949, Internet e-mail asmrcina@ocean.nos.noaa.gov. For
information on the Journey North Project, contact Elizabeth Donnelly,
program director, at 612-339-6959, fax 612-339-7056, Internet e-mail
jnorth@jriver.com.
Anne Smrcina
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
REPORT REVIEW
MARINE MAMMAL INVESTIGATION
(Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS; see Recent Scientific
Literature and Reports, page xxx, for complete citation.)
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center has recently published "An
Independent Scientific Peer Review of North Atlantic Right Whale
Research Supported by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center," a
report on the results their October 3-7, 1994 workshop in Woods Hole,
Massachusetts. A preliminary report on the workshop was published
in Right Whale News last November (Vol. 1, no. 2, pages
8-9).
The final report contains summaries of presentations and discussions,
the peer review panel's review of recent research and directions for
future research, and the panel's recommendations and assessment of
priorities.
The presentation summaries represent the most comprehensive summary
of right whale research since the 1986 publication of Right
Whales: Past and Present Status by the International Whaling
Commission (R. L. Brownell, P. B. Best and J. H. Prescott, eds). The
presenters represent a veritable who's who in current right whale
research.
Summaries are provided on the following topics, with presenters
identified in parentheses: Overviews: Northeast Fisheries
Science Center Right Whale Funding, 1980-1994 (Gordon Waring), Right
Whale Recovery Plan Research Goals and Priorities (Mike Payne),
Photo-Identification Catalog (Amy Knowlton) and Right Whale Database
(Robert Kenney). Habitat use and requirements: Massachusetts
and Cape Cod Bays (Charles Mayo), Historical Observations off
Massachusetts (William Watkins), Great South Channel and Offshore
Waters (Robert Kenney), Bay of Fundy and Canadian Shelf (Moira
Brown), Southeastern U.S. Coast (Chris Slay) and Southern Hemisphere
Right Whale Habitat Use that is Relevant to Science in the North
Atlantic (Peter Best). Population parameters and dynamics:
Right Whale Abundance and Trends in the Great South Channel
(Robert Kenney), Population parameters and dynamics - Sightability
and Group Size of Right Whales off the Southeastern United States
(Sara Ellis), Population Demographics Based on the
Photo-Identification Catalog (Scott Kraus), Right Whale Population
Models (Jack Finn), Demographic Modeling (Hal Caswell), Migration
Patterns Derived From the Photo-Identification Catalog (Philip
Hamilton), Right Whale Migration Routes (Howard Winn), Reproductive
Parameters Inferred From the Photo-Identification Catalog (Scott
Kraus) and Genetic Analysis (Moira Brown). Telemetry: The
Application of Telemetry to Studies of Right Whales - Work in the Bay
of Fundy (Pam Willis on behalf of Jeff Goodyear) and A Satellite Tag
for Large Whales (William Watkins). Vessel Interactions: Ship
Strikes and Fishery Interactions in U.S. and Canadian Waters (Scott
Kraus), Hydrodynamic Effects of Ships on Right Whales (Amy Knowlton)
and Vessel Traffic Characterization off Northeast Florida (James
Hain). Use of Geographic Information Systems (Elizabeth
Moses, Nancy Friday and Tim Smith).
The peer review panel recommended 15 prioritized projects for
funding: seven top priority, five medium priority and three lower
priority. These were reported in the last issue of Right Whale
News (Vol. 1, no. 2, pages 8-9). The peer review panel consisted
of Dr. Jay Barlow (Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, La
Jolla, CA), Dr. Peter B. Best (University of Pretoria, Cape Town, So.
Africa), Dr. Robert Brownell (Southwest Fisheries Science Center,
NMFS, La Jolla, CA), Dr. Phillip Hammond (Natural Environment
Research Council, Cambridge, England) and Dr. Randall Reeves (Hudson,
Quebec).
Copies of Marine Mammal Investigation are available from the
Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, 166 Water Street, Woods
Hole, MA 02543.
FEDERAL FUNDING FOR RIGHT WHALE RESEARCH
Fiscal year 1995 will see an increase in funding for right whale
research to approximately $450,000. In the southeast, funds will be
used by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources to conduct monitoring
surveys; the funds will be augmented by contributions from the U.S.
Navy, Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers. Additional funds will
go to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, to support radio
and satellite tagging to determine long and short-term movements. The
remaining funds will be used to support research in the New England
area, including monitoring the cumulative impacts of the Boston
harbor sewage outfall and the disposal of dredged materials, studying
foraging and other behaviors in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays,
modeling to reduce ship strikes, satellite tagging to determine
long-term habitat use and providing funds to help recover tissues and
other information from entangled or stranded right whales. NMFS is
planning to have the same amount available for next year (FY 96). Who
knows what will happen the following year.
MARINE MAMMAL CONFERENCE
The proximity of the 11th Biennial Conference on the Biology of
Marine Mammals to those participating in the efforts to bring the
right whale back from the brink of extinction makes it an excellent
opportunity to "tell our story" and learn from marine mammal experts
from around the world. The meeting will be held December 14 through
18, 1995, at the Clarion Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The
conference is sponsored by the Society for Marine Mammalogy and
co-hosted by Sea World and the Hubbs-Sea World Research
Institute.
The preliminary program calls for four evening symposia and
approximately 160 contributed papers and 500 posters. Detailed
information regarding abstract format, submission and registration is
available now (see address below). Abstracts are due (postmarked) by
July 15, 1995. The 12th Biennial Conference will be held in Europe,
and the following conference in North America won't be held until
1999, so the Orlando conference is a particularly timely and
convenient event. Plan now to attend.
Daniel K. Odell
Conference Committee Chair
Sea World, Inc.
7007 Sea World Drive
Orlando, FL 32821-8097
RECENT SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE AND REPORTS
Best, P. B., R. Payne, V. Rountree, J. T. Palazzo and M. D. Both.
1993. Long-range movements of South Atlantic Right Whales,
Eubalaena australis. Marine Mammal Science 9 (3): 227-234.
Brown, M. W., S. D. Kraus, D. E. Gaskin and B. N. White. 1994. Sexual
Composition and Analysis of Reproductive Females in the North
Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis, population. Marine
Mammal Science 10 (3): 253-265.
Corn, M. L. 1995. The Northern Right Whale. U.S. Library of Congress,
Congressional Research Service. Washington, DC. CRS Report 95-493
ERN, April 14, 1995.
Kenney, R. D. and K. F. Wishner. 1995. The Great South Channel Ocean
Productivity Experiment. Continental Shelf Research 15 (4-5):
373-384.
Knowlton, A. R., F. T. Korsmeyer, J. E. Kerwin, H. Wu and B. Hynes.
1995. The Hydrodynamic Effects of Large Vessels on Right Whales.
Final Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast
Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, under contract no.
40EANFF400534. 31 pages plus 60 figures and 3 appendices.
Knowlton, A. R., S. D. Kraus and R. D. Kenney. 1994. Reproduction in
North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Canadian
Journal of Zoology 72 (7): 1297-1305.
Marine Mammal Investigation. 1995. An Independent Scientific Peer
Review of North Atlantic Right Whale Research Supported by the
Northeast Fisheries Science Center: A Workshop held in Woods Hole,
Massachusetts, October 3-7, 1994. Woods Hole, MA: NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC.
Center Ref. Doc. 95-01. See Report Review on page xxx for a list of
presentation summaries contained in this report.
Schaeff, C. M. 1993. Genetic Analysis of Right Whales
(Eubalaena) in the Atlantic Ocean. Ph.D. thesis, Queen's
University, Kingston, Ontario.
Winn, H. E., J. D. Goodyear, R. D. Kenney and R. O. Petricig. 1995.
Dive Patterns of Tagged Right Whales in the Great South Channel.
Continental Shelf Research 15 (4-5): 593-611.
Wishner, K. F., J. R. Schoenherr, R. Beardsley and C. S. Chen. 1995.
Abundance, Distribution and Population Structure of the Copepod
Calanus finmarchicus in a Springtime Right Whale Feeding
Area in the Southwestern Gulf of Maine. Continental Shelf Research 15
(4-5): 475-507.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
May 10, 1995. Next New England Implementation Team meeting. For
Further Information (FFI) on this and subsequent meetings of the New
England team, call Team Chairman Doug Beach at 508-281-9254.
July 15, 1995. Postmark deadline for submittal of abstracts for the
11th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. FFI, call
Dan Odell at 407-363-2662.
October 31, 1995. Next Southeastern U. S. Implementation Team
meeting. FFI, call Barb Zoodsma at 912-264-7218.
December 14 - 18, 1995. 11th Biennial Conference on the Biology of
Marine Mammals. FFI, call Dan Odell at 407-363-2662.
RIGHT WHALE NEWS
Right Whale News is a quarterly publication of the
Southeastern U. S. Implementation Team for the Recovery of the
Northern Right Whale. The production of Right Whale News is
underwritten by the Institute of Community and Area Development
(ICAD), a service unit of The University of Georgia. The editor is
Hans Neuhauser. The editorial board consists of Bill Brooks, Lorraine
Guise, Scott Kraus, Mike Payne, Jerry Wallmeyer and Barb Zoodsma. To
subscribe or submit news or articles for publication, contact Hans
Neuhauser at ICAD, The University of Georgia, 1234 South Lumpkin
Street, Athens, GA 30602-3552; telephone 706-542-3350; fax
706-542-6189.