-
- Big Picture from Small
Genes
-
- On November 5, at the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium
2003 Annual Meeting in New Bedford, Massachusetts, two
investigators from Trent University reported results from years of
sampling and analysis on the genetic makeup of the North Atlantic
right whale (see article on page 10 for citations). From these
reports, it is clear that genetic analysis can properly take its
place alongside the photographic identification catalog as a
principal research tool for describing and monitoring the
population. (The concept of obtaining skin samples from which to
isolate DNA was initially driven by the simple lack of data in the
photo catalog on the sex ratio of the population. The first
biopsy sample was taken in August 1988 from a known adult female,
#1602.)
-
- Timothy R. Frasier, speaking on behalf of four co-authors,
reported that DNA samples have been obtained from 63 % of all
North Atlantic right whales photographically identified, and from
72% of right whales currently thought to be alive. Based largely
on samples collected through 1999, the intriguing findings include
(1) the father is unknown for 68% of the calves; (2) older males
appear to be almost solely responsible for successful
fertilizations; and (3) mating resulting in conception likely is
occurring in a location other than the Bay of Fundy, where surface
active groups (often associated with sexual activity) are commonly
observed. In addition, Frasier reported, "There are both more
males and more females in the population than are currently
accounted for in the photo identification catalog."
-
- Also reporting was Brenna McLeod, who, along with seven
co-authors, analyzed the DNA in samples of 58 whale bone specimens
collected from the 16th century Basque whaling station at Red Bay,
Labrador. Previous studies of the specimens conducted by Dr. David
Gaskin and others, which were based on osteology, concluded that
the proportion of bowhead whales to right whales was about 50-50.
As a result, the pre-exploitation population of right whales was
estimated to be between 12,000 and 15,000 animals. Ms. McLeod's
mitochondrial DNA analysis suggests that the ratio of bowheads to
right whales was 57 to 1, and that the pre-exploitation population
of right whales was between 400 and 520 individuals. This sample
also exhibits a genetic profile similar to individuals within the
population today. These data suggest that 16th century Basque
whaling did not have a major role in reducing genetic variability,
and was not responsible for the demise of the North Atlantic right
whale. If borne out by sampling from additional areas in Quebec
and Labrador, these findings will substantially revise the
estimates of impacts of early whaling on right whales as well as
the historic population size estimates of both bowheads and right
whales. Results to date suggest that right whales may have an
intrinsic low population size with low genetic variability.
-
- 2003 Entanglements and
Mortality
-
- Three new cases of entangled right whales have been reported
since the beginning of 2003. One entangled whale (unknown #) was
disentangled and another (#2240) was first sighted entangled and
later seen un-entangled. The third (#1430) is still entangled. The
Center for Coastal Studies considers this third entanglement to be
life-threatening.
-
- One known mortality has occurred so far this year. The dead
whale was a calving age female (#2150) that was first sighted off
Digby, Nova Scotia, on October 2. The condition of the animal
suggested that it had been dead for at least a week. A necropsy
was conducted under the direction of Dr. Michael Moore of the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The numerous broken bones
and soft tissue trauma suggest that the whale was struck and
killed by a ship. Drift studies indicate that the animal may have
been struck south of the southern tip of Nova Scotia.
-
- Take Reduction Plan Amendment
and EIS
-
-
- The National Marine Fisheries Service has issued a final rule
amending the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to allow
gear with certain modifications within a dynamic area management
(DAM) zone. The rule is effective as of September 25, 2003; it is
posted on the NOAA Fisheries web site: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/whatetrp/
-
- An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the plan is being
prepared. Scoping meetings were held earlier this summer. The
anticipated schedule calls for a draft EIS to be released for
public review in April 2004, followed by public hearings and a
30-day comment period. The Final EIS is scheduled for release in
December 2004. The Final Rule will go into effect 30 days later.
For additional information, contact Diane Borggaard at NMFS:
978-281-9328, ext 6503 or diane.borggaard@noaa.gov
-
- Where are the Missing Right
Whales?
-
- In any given season of the year, roughly one third of the
population of North Atlantic right whales is missing and presumed
to be in some unknown habitat(s). Most of the adult males are
missing when the pregnant females are on the calving ground off
Georgia and Florida. While most of the population is feeding in
the Bay of Fundy, the others are elsewhere. Recent studies have
identified right whales that do not use the five well-known
critical habitats for the population. Where are the missing
whales?
-
- While no definitive answers were provided at the recent
meeting of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, some
interesting insights were provided. Scott Kraus reported on a July
2003 survey1 of a historic whaling area known as the
Cape Farewell Ground southeast of Greenland (ca 60-62û N, 33-35û
W). In spite of some rough seas that exceeded Beaufort 7, the team
observed numerous marine mammals, including one right whale.
Analysis of photos and biopsies determined that the right whale
was an adult female not previously known in the New England
Aquarium's North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog.
-
- Not all right whale sightings east of Greenland are of unknown
animals, however. Marilyn Marx reported that a right whale sighted
in June off the west coast of Iceland was #1412, a female who had
been seen earlier off Jeffreys Ledge but not on the calving
ground. Another right whale seen off Norway in 1999 had also been
seen in the western North Atlantic (a male, #1143; see Right
Whale News 6 (4):10).
-
- Randall Reeves, Elizabeth Josephson and Tim Smith reported on
their analysis of "Maury's Smear" in the central North Atlantic
(ca 35-42ûN, 30-48ûW), which, based on published 19th century
American whaling records, had been identified as a summer ground
for right whales. The researchers determined that the alleged
concentration was based on erroneously transcribed data. Their
findings were reinforced by Michael Moore, who visited Maury's
Smear in 2000 and saw lots of sperm whales but no right whales.
1Financial support for the survey
was provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service, a French
television station and the National Film Board of Canada (and not
the Canadian government, as erroneously reported in the last issue
of Right Whale News).
-
- New Aerial Survey Protocols May
Reduce
- Data
Collection
-
- As a result of the fatal crash of the right whale survey
airplane last January (Right Whale News 10(1):1) and
increased interest in improved air safety within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency convened
an aviation safety and policy development workshop in May. The
purpose of the workshop was to review aircraft safety protocols
used by NOAA and other federal agencies, and to revise the safety
protocols for aircraft flights chartered by NOAA including right
whale surveys. After public review, the final agency-specific
protocols are expected to go into effect in 2006.
-
- In the meantime, NOAA program managers can raise the safety
bar for chartered aerial surveys by requiring multi-engined
aircraft to have two pilots, both of whom must have a Commercial
Instrument Rating and meet or exceed the minimum requirements of a
Part 135 certificate (41 CFR 102-33) or its equivalent. Other
requirements can include safety training and having operational
safety equipment on board.
-
- The two-pilot requirement is expected to go into effect in
time for the surveys in the southeast (starting in December) and
Cape Cod Bay (January). The addition of the second pilot will
reduce the number of scientists on board. The former
three-scientist configuration of observer/observer/data recorder
will be reduced to two scientists who must serve as both observers
and data recorders. With the priority being placed on observation,
the amount of data collected will be reduced, and new methods of
data recording will be needed. Some of the changes may improve
safety and data collection. For example, the use of a camera
mounted in the belly of the aircraft should increase straight and
level flight and reduce the riskier maneuvers of turning and
banking. Such camera mounting may also increase the usefulness of
the photographs for morphometric purposes.
-
- A discussion at the recent right whale Consortium meeting
resulted in a general agreement that the top priorities for data
collection should remain the locations of right whales and large
ships. Data on whale and ship behavior (e.g., heading and speed)
may be curtailed, and recorded observations of other marine
species (e.g., dolphins, turtles and large fish) may be terminated
all together.
-
- Nicole Cabana and Debora Barr of NOAA will lead a workshop on
the topic on December 13, prior to the Biennial Conference on the
Biology of Marine Mammals (see calendar of events, page 14).
-
- Marine Mammal Commission's Annual Meeting
- Focuses on Right Whales
-
- The Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific
Advisors held their annual meeting October 21-23 in Newport, Rhode
Island. In introductory remarks, Chairman Dr. John Reynolds noted
that the Commission's meeting was set in New England primarily to
focus on right whales. In the days that followed, several
sessions were devoted to right whales. Topics included the status
of the population, a research and funding overview, the take
reduction plan, ship collisions, and scientific research
permits.
-
- Reports clearly showed substantial increases in numbers of
people (scientists, managers and others), funding levels ($10
million plus in FY03, perhaps $12.6 million plus in FY04), and
level of effort (field research, new methods and technologies,
analyses, and meetings). Despite these efforts, Reynolds
cautioned, the problem isn't solved.
-
- This was evidenced by the open and frank consideration of a
number of issues and topics. A report from the Northeast Regional
Office of NMFS described the activities of the Atlantic Large
Whale Take Reduction Team. A seemingly exhausting schedule of
steps, comment periods and management options (measures that
include Dynamic Area Management, Seasonal Area Management and gear
modifications) caused one Scientific Advisor to reflect on the
number of person-hours dedicated to meetings and wonder if, in the
end, the work is producing a useful effect. Similarly, a report
from NMFS headquarters on the Mandatory Ship Reporting
System&emdash;where commercial vessels (except military) are
required to report upon entering designated areas of right whale
habitation, and receive advisory information in
return&emdash;caused a Scientific Advisor to question whether
there was any evidence that this system has helped any ship avoid
a whale.
-
- The challenges were not limited to management issues.
Researcher Dr. Douglas Nowacek reported that experiments with an
alarm system (of the type that might, for example, be mounted on a
ship) suggested that an alarm, rather than reduce right whale
collisions with ships may actually increase them. He suggested
that a right whale responding to an alarm sound might ascend and
hang motionless a few feet below the surface&emdash;within
potential vertical distance of a ship's hull, but out of sight of
lookouts.
-
- The scientific research permit process was examined from both
sides. Steve Leathery of NMFS and Charles Chandler of the US Fish
and Wildlife Service described their view of the processes and
challenges relating to scientific research permits. Two factors
were foremost: workload and staffing; and legal challenges
(compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and
others). At the same time, a number of researchers described
frustration with a system that, at times, was felt to impede
research aimed at Recovery Plan goals.
-
- In a closing summary, Chairman Reynolds again recognized the
level of effort, but noted that right whales are still being lost.
"We need new options and methods," he suggested. He also worried
that the high and seemingly increasing day-to-day demands on all
involved left little time for the reflection and creative thought
that is essential. The challenge, he said, is to allocate finite
resources, to be creative and resourceful, and still to meet
day-to-day demands. Regarding the complex aspects of legal and
regulatory issues, Scientific Advisor Douglas Wartzok said aspects
of the current situation were not unlike those in Dickens' Bleak
House, where the London fog is a metaphor for the legal system,
and expressed concern that by the time we work through the laws,
etc., there will be no right whales remaining. The overall sense
of the meeting was that, despite increases in effort and funding,
there remain more challenges than successes.
-
-
- Marine Mammal Commission Creates
Website
The Marine Mammal Commission has created a new website:
www.mmc.gov. The website includes information on the Commission,
legislation, reports, letters, testimony, species and a calendar
of events. For the North Atlantic right whale, the website
includes an introduction and information on range and habitat,
status under the law, conservation issues, physical
characteristics and age. Links are provided to relevant parts of
the MMC Annual Report, Commission letters and other sources.
Because the Commission has oversight of marine mammal protection
and conservation, both domestic and international, and for actions
and policies of all federal agencies, this website will be a
valuable information resource.
-
-
- SEIT Meeting Focuses on Education
and Outreach
-
- The Southeast US Right Whale Recovery Plan Implementation Team
(SEIT) met on October 17 in Jacksonville, Florida. A primary focus
of the meeting was education and outreach efforts in the
southeast. The initiative identifies the target (example:
commercial mariners), the specific target (e.g., deep draft vessel
operators), the objectives (e.g., integrate right whale protection
strategies into standard navigational procedures while operating
in known right whale habitats), the performance objectives (e.g.,
implement prudent navigational practices to avoid the risk of
collision or adverse interaction with whales), tasks and
implementing party.
-
- The SEIT also considered adding a Technical Advisory Committee
to the team structure and identified various alternatives.
-
- A summary of the SEIT meeting is available from team chair
Jameson Smith at 904-573-4910 or Jameson.Smith@fwc.state.fl.us
-
NEIT Meets December
3
- The next meeting of the Northeast Large Whale Recovery Plan
Implementation Team (NEIT) will be held December 3 at the Black
Falcon Terminal in Boston, Massachusetts. A major focus of the
meeting will be to determine who will serve on the NEIT and who
will serve on the Technical Committee. The changes in participants
are being brought about by the new organizational structure
(summarized in Right Whale News 10 (3): 2). The
reconstituted NEIT plans to expand its geographic scope to cover
more of the mid Atlantic coast (Maine to North Carolina). The team
will also address its spending priorities for the region. For
further information, contact NEIT chair Tom Fetherston at
401-832-5857 or fetherstontn@npt.nuwc.navy.mil
-
- Canadian Team
Meeting
-
- The Canadian Right Whale Implementation Team met on October 20
to continue work on its existing recovery plan, focusing on
reducing ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear.
-
- The work of the team will be influenced by the new Species At
Risk Act (SARA), which went into effect on June 5. SARA requires
that the current endangered status of both the North Atlantic
right whale and the North Pacific right whale be reaffirmed. The
reaffirmation will require a regulatory impact analysis and a
decision by the Governor in Council. The process is estimated to
take about a year and a half.
-
- The strategies for right whale recovery will also have to be
adapted to be compliant with SARA. This means the strategy will be
"leaner and meaner." The strategy will include descriptions of
recovery feasibility, recovery objectives, ecological gaps and
research needs, identification of critical habitat and an
evaluation of the barriers to recovery. More rigorous guidelines
are expected on what is meant by "harm," "habitat" and
"interactions" &endash; the latter including both research permits
and whale watching.
-
- Funding for implementation, always an issue, is likely to be
tighter under SARA. While the available pot of money is larger,
the needs are also greater. There are more that 400 species at
risk that need to be addressed under SARA. Funding for right whale
necropsies will be particularly tight.
-
- A newsletter providing information and opinions on the
recovery of species at risk in Canada is available online at
www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca
-
- Massachusetts Proposes
Allowing
- Closer Approaches to Right
Whales
-
- Federal regulations currently prohibit coming closer than 500
yards to right whales, except under specific circumstances such as
ships entering port. One of the results of this prohibition is the
dramatic reduction in sighting data and photo-identifications by
commercial whale watching vessels. To rectify this, the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has
requested that NMFS approve a pilot program to allow commercial
whale watching vessels to approach right whales to photo-document
animals when "off season" and "out of habitat." These close
approaches would be allowed during times and in areas where
directed research and surveillance efforts are not being
conducted. Participants would have to be trained and certified.
Under the proposal, opportunistic sightings would be called in to
either NMFS or the Division. If determined on a case-by-case basis
to be necessary, the observer would be given a temporary
authorization to approach the whale(s) for the purpose of
photo-documentation and monitoring. The Division's proposal
asserts that this pilot program is not intended to sanction right
whale watching. For additional information on the proposal,
contact Dan McKiernan at the Massachusetts Division of Marine
Fisheries: 617-727-3193, ext. 369 or Dan.Mckiernan@state.ma.us
-
People
Bill McLellan of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington
has received NOAA's Environmental Hero award for his work on
marine mammals. Bill's work on right whales includes conducting
necropsies and conducting aerial and shipboard surveys from
Savannah to Virginia. Max Strahan of GreenWorld, a frequent
litigator over right whale issues, has enrolled in a graduate
program in astrophysics in San Francisco. Beth Pike is now the
Right Whale Catalog data coordinator at the New England Aquarium.
She can be reached at 617-226-2143 or bpike@neaq.org Lance
Garrison is now the acting Marine Mammal Group Leader at the
Southeast Fisheries Science Center. At the November 4th business
meeting of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, three people
were elected to the board for three-year terms: Scott Kraus,
Leslie Ward and Brad White. Current Consortium officers are Amy
Knowlton, chair; Michael Moore, vice chair (and chair-elect for
2005-2007) and Heather Pettis, secretary. Retiring are secretary
Marilyn Marx, public information officer Deb Tobin, and board
members Roz Rolland and Anna Moscrop.
-
-
- Fluke, Or, I Know Why the Winged
Whale Sings: A Review
-
- Fluke, Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, Christopher
Moore. 2003. William Morrow/Harper Collins Publishers. 321 pp.
$23.95. Review by Jim Hain.
-
- Well, OK, the book mentions right whales only in passing. It
is, however, a mostly dead-on portrayal of "whale world." Set in
Hawaii, and focused on the humpbacks, author Christopher Moore's
novel perceptively and irreverently captures the
psycho-socio-bio-politico rarified world of whale research
&endash; and throws in the U.S. Navy for good measure. One day,
biologist Nate Quinn, shortly after musing about how he should've
gotten a real job and reflecting on the divorce rate among
researchers, drives his 23-foot research boat, Constantly Baffled,
into position to take a fluke photograph. As the whale raises its
tail high into the air, instead of the usual pattern of
black-and-white markings, there is, spelled out in foot-high
letters, the words "BITE ME!" Based out of Lahaina, where "you
couldn't throw a coconut without conking a Ph.D. in cetacean
biology," the cast of characters disperses in four dimensions.
This will be familiar territory to all those in whale world, and
is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, if not a few major
chuckles.
-
- Consortium
Papers
- The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium 2003 annual meeting
was held at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford,
Massachusetts, November 4-5. Funding for the meeting was provided
by the National Whale Conservation Fund (a special project of the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Marine
Fisheries Service and the Marine Mammal Commission) and the New
England Aquarium. A record number of people attended the sessions.
Presenters and the titles of their papers are listed here.
Abstracts for the papers and a complete list of authors are
available electronically and in hard copy, the latter for a $5.00
fee. Contact Marilyn Marx at 617-973-6584 or mmarx@neaq.org for
details.
Population Biology and Behavior
- Beth Pike &endash; The North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog:
An update on mortality, reproduction and population status
- Mark Baumgartner &endash; North Atlantic right whale
habitat inferred from satellite telemetry
- Jim Hain &endash; Aspects of behavior: Apparent coordinated
movement in the SE US
- Susan Parks - Hearing in the North Atlantic right whale:
Anatomical predictions
- Scott Kraus &endash; A summer survey of a historical right
whale habitat, the Cape Farewell Ground
- Tim Smith &endash; Historical occurrence of North Atlantic
right whales in mid-latitude offshore waters: Is "Maury's
Smear" real?
-
- Management Updates
- Diane Borggaard &endash; Atlantic Large Whale Take
Reduction Plan 2003 regulations and update
- Robert Stephenson &endash;Update on Canadian recovery plan
and actions
- Phil Clapham &endash; Projects proposed for funding under
the FY2003 North Atlantic Right Whale Competitive Grant
program
- Glenn Salvador &endash; National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation Large Whale Fund activities
- Debora Barr &endash; Workshop on aircraft safety
protocols
- Dan McKiernan &endash; Massachusetts proposal to restore
whale watch vessels as photo-id platforms of opportunity
- Tom Fetherston &endash; Revised Northeast Implementation
Team &endash; announcement of meeting
-
- Health and Condition
- Roz Rolland - Bowhead/right whale comparative health and
physiology workshop: March 25-26,2003
- Roz Rolland &endash; Prevalence of Cryptosporidium
sp. and Giardia sp. in right whales and bowhead
whales
- Philip Hamilton &endash; Using detector dogs to find right
whale scat at sea: How to find a small, smelly needle in a very
big haystack
- Josée Michaud - Energy available in the prey field
of the Northern Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena
glacialis) in the Bay of Fundy, and why it matters
- Wayne Perryman &endash; Results from photogrammetric
sampling of North Atlantic right whales in the Bay of Fundy
2000-2002
-
- New Methods
- Mark Hahn &endash; Understanding the potential impact of
persistent organic pollutants in cetaceans through
characterization of contaminant susceptibility genes
- Mackenzie Sheridan - Determining pregnancy status of
free-ranging North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena
glacialis) by quantifying progesterone in blubber
biopsies
- Doug Nowacek - New approaches for studying right whales in
the presence of vessels
- Doug Gillespie - Update on automatic detection and
classification of right whale calls: No, that's not a humpback
!
- Pete Duley &endash; Use of a belly-mounted digital camera
for right whale aerial photogrammetry
-
- Genetics
- Tim Frasier - Genetic profiling of North Atlantic right
whales: Application to paternity analysis
- Tim Frasier - Genetic profiling of the North Atlantic right
whale: Implications on estimates of population size and
structure
- Brenna McLeod &endash; DNA analysis of 58 16th century
whale bones from Basque sites in Labrador
-
- Entanglements : Documentation and Mitigation
- Dave Morin &endash; Right whale entanglement cases of
2003
- Amanda Kozuck - Analysis of fishing gear involved in
entanglements of right and humpback whales
- John Higgins &endash; Mission of the National Marine
Fisheries Service, N.E. Region, gear research team
- Ed Lyman &endash; Commonwealth of Massachusetts' gear
modification initiatives to reduce the threat of entanglement
for the North Atlantic right whale
- Michael Moore - Friction of different ropes in right whale
baleen: A potential strategy to reduce entanglement
- Cliff Goudey &endash; Efficacy tests of the whale-free
buoy
- Scott Kraus &endash; Reducing fatal entanglements in North
Atlantic right whales
-
- Shipping
- Greg Silber &endash; Developing a strategy to reduce the
threat of ship strikes to right whales
- Pat Gerrior &endash; Education and outreach to the shipping
industry
- Flora Lichtman &endash; Characterizing anthropogenic
sources of ocean noise in the western Gulf of Maine: A noise
production approach
- Chris Taggart &endash; Ships and fishing gear and whales in
the Bay of Fundy: estimating the relative probability of being
in the same place at the same time.
- Bruce Russell - Vessel traffic-management scenarios based
on recommended measures to reduce ship strikes of northern
right whales
- Hauke Kite-Powell &endash; A model of ship strike risk for
the North Atlantic right whale
- Chris Clark &endash; Right whales acoustic monitoring:
Results and progress toward real-time reporting
-
-
- Scientific Literature and
Reports
- Baumgartner, M.F. 2003. Comparisons of Calanus
finmarchicus fifth copepodite abundance estimates from nets
and an optical plankton counter. Journal of Plankton Research 25
(7): 855-868.
-
- Durbin, E., G. Teegarden, R. Campbell, A. Cembella, M.F.
Baumgartner and B.R. Mate. 2002. North Atlantic right whales,
Eubalaena glacialis, exposed to paralytic shellfish
poisoning (PSP) toxins via a zooplankton vector, Calanus
finmarchicus. Harmful Algae 1 (3): 243-251.
-
- Faust, I. Zoologische Einblattdrucke und Flugschriften vor
1800 Band IV Wale, Sirenen, Elefanten. [Zoological broadsides
before 1800, volume IV, Whales, sirenians, elephants.]
Hiersemann Publishers, Stuttgart. 402 pp. Includes four records of
the North Atlantic right whale. Reviewed in Marine Mammal Science
19(4):851-852 by C. C. Kinze.
-
- Kareiva, P. 2001. When one whale matters. Nature 414(6863):
493-494.
-
- Laurinolli, M.J., A.E. Hay, F. Desharnais and C.T. Taggart.
2003. Localization of North Atlantic right whale sounds in the Bay
of Fundy using a sonobuoy array. Marine Mammal Science
19(4):708-723.
-
- Levenson, D.H. and A. Dizon. 2003. Genetic evidence for the
ancestral loss of short-wavelength-sensitive cone pigments in
mysticete and odontocete cetaceans. Proceedings of the Royal
Society Biological Sciences Series B 270, no. 1516: 673-679.
-
- Matthews, J.N., R. Leaper, T. Lewis and P. Tyack. 2001.
Vocalization rates of the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena
glacialis). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 3 (3):
271-282.
-
- Marx, M. 2003. North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium annual
meeting abstracts. New England Aquarium.
-
- Mayo, S. 2003. All flesh is grass: Right whales foraging at
the margins. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Endangered North
Atlantic Right Whale Lecture Series &endash; Webcasts. Audio with
slides, 43 minutes. On line at www.whoi.edu/whalelectures/
-
- McDonald, M.A. and S. E. Moore. 2002. Calls recorded from
North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena japonica) in the
eastern Bering Sea. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management
4(3): 261-266.
-
- Moore, S.E., J.M. Waite, L.L. Mazzuca and R.C. Hobbs. 2000.
Mysticete whale abundance and observations on prey associations on
the central Bering Sea shelf. Journal of Cetacean Research and
Management 2(3): 227-234.
-
- Pettis, H. 2003. Data and photographic submission to the North
Atlantic right whale photographic database. New England Aquarium,
Boston, MA.
-
- Reeves, R. 2003. Recovery of North Atlantic right whales: a
historical perspective. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Lecture Series &endash;
Webcasts. Audio with slides, 45 minutes. On line at www.whoi.edu/whalelectures/
-
- Tyack, P. 2003. Why don't right whales respond to the noise of
an oncoming vessel? Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Lecture Series &endash;
Webcasts. Audio with slides, 42 minutes. On line at www.whoi.edu/whalelectures/
-
- Vanderlaan, A.S.M., A.E. Hay and C.T. Taggart. 2003.
Characterization of North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena
glacialis) sounds in the Bay of Fundy. IEEE Journal of Oceanic
Engineering 28: 164-173.
-
- Calendar of
Events
- December 3: Meeting of the Northeast Large Whale Recovery Plan
Implementation Team, Black Falcon Terminal, Boston. For further
information, contact team chair Tom Fetherston at 401-832-5857 or
fetherstontn@npt.NUWC.Navy.mil
-
- December 14-19: 15th Biennial Conference on the Biology of
Marine Mammals, Greensboro, North Carolina. Sponsored by the
Society for Marine Mammalogy. For more information, visit the
conference web site
(http://smm2003biennialmarinemammalogy.org/frameset.html) or the
Society's web site (http://www.marinemammalogy.org/)
-
- March 30-31, 2004: Canadian right whale science and research
coordination meeting, St. Andrews, New Brunswick. For further
information, contact Dr. Robert Stephenson at 506-529-5882 or
stephensonr@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
-
- November 3-4, 2004: Annual meeting of the North Atlantic Right
Whale Consortium, New Bedford, Massachusetts. Dates and location
are tentative. For further information, contact Heather Pettis,
consortium secretary, at 617-226-2144 or hpettis@neaq.org
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Right Whale
News
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- Right Whale News is a publication of the Southeast U.S.
Right Whale Recovery Plan Implementation Team and the Northeast
Large Whale Recovery Plan Implementation Team. The editor is Hans
Neuhauser. The editorial board consists of Bill Brooks, Moe Brown,
Phil Clapham, Jerry Conway, Jim Hain, Scott Kraus, Mike Payne,
Sigrid Sanders and Jerry Wallmeyer.
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- The Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, the Massachusetts
Environmental Trust (www.MassEnvironmentalTrust.org), the
Southeast Regional Office of NOAA Fisheries and the Northeast
Large Whale Recovery Plan Implementation Team underwrite the costs
of Right Whale News. Thanks to their support, Right
Whale News is published quarterly and is distributed free of
charge.
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- The current issue of Right Whale News is
available on line at a web site maintained by the Georgia
Environmental Policy Institute: www.GEPInstitute.com An
index of the first eight years of Right Whale News
(1994-2001) is available along with current and back issues
on the Internet, thanks to Marcy Lee of the Gray's Reef National
Marine Sanctuary. The web site address is: http://www.graysreef.nos.noaa.gov/rightwhalenews.html
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- To subscribe to Right Whale News or to submit
news, articles or commentary for publication, contact the editor,
Hans Neuhauser, at the Georgia Environmental Policy Institute, 380
Meigs Street, Athens, GA 30601, USA. Telephone 706-546-7507. Fax
706-613-7775. E-mail: gepi@ix.netcom.com
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