Right Whale Migration Update: March 26, 1997

Greetings once again from Plymouth, Mass.

It seems that the right whales are on their way north -- and at least one more mother-calf pair (to make a total of two as of this date) has been seen in Cape Cod Bay.

Chris Slay and Lisa Conger of the New England Aquarium's Right Whale Research Group (stationed in Florida) sent this report on March 18th:

March 17, 1997
Our efforts over the past 12 days have given us little to report. March winds have kept the ocean astir for much of this period although we did have four days 3/8-3/11 which were decent enough (sea states 1-3). During those four days we saw plenty of turtles, dolphins and rays but no whales.

Our last sighting occurred on 3/5 -- a mother and calf 20 nautical miles south and inshore, along the beach near Ponte Verde. Two days later (3/8) they located her and her calf about 50 nm further south near Ormond Beach and the next day the pair was relocated only 4 nm south of the previous day's position. This mom had been making over 20 nm per day TO THE SOUTH and then put on the brakes as she approached Daytona.

No reports of right whale sightings have been received since that day (3/9) though we may see this mother/calf pair as they begin their trek northward. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine this whale as the last mom to be leading a new right whale calf out of the calving ground this winter, plodding up the coast, on to more exciting things: deep water, ledges and strong currents, other large critters, gillnets. This year's 17 (or more) calves have much to learn in the coming months. We've got our fingers crossed that they learn their lessons well. It can be rough out there.

March 18, 1997
STOP THE PRESSES -- Just received a radio call from our survey aircraft. Lisa reports a mother/calf pair 10 nm off of Little St. Simons Island, Georgia. Fits the description of the above-mentioned mom. She may be on her way....godspeed."

Chris and Lisa provided part of the answer to the Challenge Question in my last report about dangers the right whale calves face on their first migrations (and subsequent trips). After surviving the birthing process (where their mothers have to make sure they get to the surface to breathe), whales face a host of dangers.

Young whales can be attacked by orcas or large sharks (adult whales usually don't have to worry about this -- they're just too big). The migration takes the whales away from the shallow sheltered waters of the calving grounds and out into deeper waters with stronger currents that the whales must learn to swim through (and stay close to their mothers). If a nursing calf is separated from its mother, it usually means death by starvation for the baby.

(In one recent case out in California, a lost newborn gray whale was rescued by a whale stranding network. Sea World has put the baby in one of its pools where they will attempt to feed it formula. Remember, as per Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Gray Whale Report of February 19th , a baby gray whale can drink 2 gallons of formula every 3-4 hours, and gain 1.2 pounds every hour! Here's wishing the calf good luck and success to the whale researchers in California.

• Link to story about Baby Gray Whale separated from mother during migration.

Other threats to the young whales are dangers that all whales face, including pollution, fishing gear (such as ghost nets, unattended gill nets, lines from lobster pots), and collisions with ships. Collisions are the number one direct cause of death for right whales. The right whales swim along a stretch of the US coastline that includes some of the busiest ports for commercial and military ships. The whales are slow swimmers and not easily visible -- they're only at the surface about 10% of the time. They don't show up on radar and they seem to ignore ships (even when the ships are headed right at them).

The early warning system in place down south has probably saved quite a few mothers and calves from death by collision (as well as making shipboard personnel more aware of the presence of whales and the need for greater care in coastal waters). A similar early warning network is now beginning up north in the spring feeding grounds of Cape Cod Bay and the Great South Channel off Cape Cod.

Here's hoping all 17 (or more) mother-calf pairs make it safely up north during this year's migration and that I have some good news in my next report.

Until April 9th, this is Anne Smrcina from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary signing off.

The Next Right Whale Migration Update Will be Posted on April 9, 1997.