Humpback Whale Migration Update: May 7, 1997

Center for Coastal Studies

The humpback whales are back on the Bank, according to the whalewatching operations here in Massachusetts. Jooke Robbins from the Center for Coastal Studies reported that even with bad weather they've been able to see whales, including the first mother-calf pairs. Two pairs have been confirmed with photo IDs -- Scylla and calf (spotted April 26th) and Lynx and calf (a few days later). Jooke says that possibly two other pairs are out there but they haven't yet been photographed.

Other whales have also been spotted including Briar, a young male last seen here in the Gulf of Maine in 1989 and last spotted in the West Indies in 1993. To date, the Center has identified at least 20 whales (a mix of males and females, young and old). Many of the humpbacks have been seen on the SW and SE corners of Stellwagen Bank, as well as a number on the northern end.

For a weekly posting of sightings from the Cetacean Research Unit (a whale research group out of Gloucester, MA) see their web page (www.cetacean.org). CRU sightings come from the northern part of the Bank and the Jeffreys Ledge area. Mason Weinrich, CRU's director, is a member of the Sanctuary's Advisory Board, and has been involved in whale research for many years.

Nathalie Ward, a cetacean researcher, author and teacher, has just returned from the Caribbean where she has been involved with a number of whale education programs. She reports that humpbacks were seen until about April 4th in the area of St. Vincent/Grenadines/Bequia. Nathalie notes that this is not uncommon, and that all the whales are gone now from that area.

Personally, I haven't spotted any humpbacks yet -- although I did get out on a whalewatch with my daughters for "Take Your Daughters To Work Day" (one day delayed because of the weather). We did see several finback whales -- the second largest whales and the second largest animals to have ever lived on this planet. Finbacks can reach 80 feet long and weigh up to 70 tons, although those are top numbers and most are a bit smaller than that. Finbacks are also very graceful and fast -- they are called the greyhounds of the sea (they can sustain speeds of 18 mph and reach 30 mph in short bursts).

We saw finbacks doing shallow dives (probably for sand lance, aka sand eels) and got to get some close up looks as we cruised parallel to one whale as it swam along at the surface. We were able to see the white right side of its jaw and baleen (the left side is dark gray). The finback is the only whale with this type of asymmetric coloration. It may be a form of countershading if circling clockwise around prey -- or it may be a way of scaring and herding prey if used in a counterclockwise pattern around a school of fish.

I'll be sending in a report next week about an international whalewatching meeting I'll be attending Thursday through Sunday this week. I'm looking forward to meeting naturalists from as far away as Finland, South Africa and Australia.

Until then, this is Anne Smrcina from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary signing off.

The FINAL Humpback Whale Migration Update Will be Posted on May 21, 1997.