FINAL Humpback Whale Migration Update

From: Anne Smrcina

Greetings from the Stellwagen Bank Nat'l Marine Sanctuary--This has been an exciting year for us here at the Sanctuary, and hopefully all of you have enjoyed your school year -- although I bet you can't wait for summer vacation.

I mentioned in a previous report that I was going to attend a meeting of whalewatch educators from around the world (luckily for me the meeting was practically in my backyard -- Provincetown, MA, the birthplace of whalewatching on the east coast of the US). I learned a lot about the international growth of whalewatching -- including the fact that the industry is now touching all continents (including a whalewatching/whale research presence in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica). Representatives came from the U.S. (mainland and Hawaii), Mexico, Canada, Caribbean countries, Columbia, Argentina, Iceland, Norway, England, Italy, South Africa, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga.

In some countries, like Iceland, whale watching is just starting out (and competing against the local fishing interest that would like to reinstitute whale hunting). Whaling stopped in Iceland in 1989 and, even then, was only a small industry (contributing only a minor portion of exports). Whale watching, however, seems to be a growth industry. In 1995 there were 2,200 whale watchers; in 1996 there were about 10,000 participants. The whales they are watching are minkes (exhibiting all the exciting behaviors our humpbacks show including breaching, spyhopping, flipper slapping), humpbacks (which winter in the Caribbean with our own Gulf of Maine whales), finbacks, blues, white-beaked dolphins and harbor porpoises.

In Japan (where whaling for minkes continues today), whale watching is also growing around the western Pacific calving grounds for the humpback whale.

Overall, since 1992 whale watching has more than doubled, from 31 countries to 65 now, contributing revenues of about $504 million worldwide.

The participants agreed that whale watching has the potential of delivering strong environmental education through the exciting adventure of watching wildlife in its natural home. However, participants were also aware that unregulated whale watching can also lead to problems, including threats to the animals' health and well-being. If you get a chance to go whale watching, use a reputable operation that complies with established whale watching guidelines. These businesses understand that protection of the animals is important for the continued success of the industry.

The humpbacks are here at Stellwagen Bank in full force this spring -- and the whale watching businesses are looking forward to a very successful season.

Jooke Robbins from the Center for Coastal Studies reports that the Center's naturalists have identified at least 38 humpbacks to date, as well as spotting many other unknown juveniles. The Center is getting reports of about 20-25 sightings per day.

Among the whales positively identified are:

FEMALES:
Clipper and her calf
Dome
Echo
Hancock
Lynx and her calf
Midnight
Mural
Nile
Olympia
Pepper
Pisces
Quote and her calf
Reaper
Salt
Scylla and her calf
Sickle and her calf
Spider
Tongs
Trident
Tulip

MALES:
Alphorn
Briar
Parens
Thread
Treasure

UNKNOWN SEX:
Funnel (last seen in '89)
Mask (last seen in '85)
Pepper's yearling, Zenith
Pole
Shark
Olympia's 1996 calf, Sparta
Trident's 1996 calf, Virgule

And these are only the whales sighted on the southern part of Stellwagen Bank by the Center's staff. Lots of other whales are hunting sand lance on the northern part of the Bank and along the western flank.

I hope I'll be able to relay positive progress reports during next year's Journey North Project.

Until then, this is Anne Smrcina signing off for 1997.

For answers to your Ask the Expert questions, see the accompanying report.

This is the FINAL Humpback Whale Migration Update. See You Next Year!