Whale Watching Trip September 24, 2009

12 noon Whale Watch Trip - Fred

NW winds at 5-10 knots creating seas about a foot or so (and no swell).  Good visibility (7-8 miles, perhaps).

We started with some short looks at a young humpbacks southwest of the SW Corner of Stellwagen Bank.  However, since it was not spending much time at the surface, we headed east.

Out near the SE Corner of the Bank we found about a dozen humpbacks and a half dozen or so minke whales, all feeding at or near the surface, mostly as singletons (except for Thumper and her calf, who were feeding together).  We spent much of our time with Coral, a 21-year-old male humpback who has always been a "good" (as in "cooperative") whale for us, and he did not disappoint us this day, as he fed quite actively on sand lance very close to our boat.

We saw only a few birds offshore, mostly greater shearwaters and a few terns.

Whale Watching Trip September 20, 2009

12 noon Whale Watch Trip - Krill

A beautiful day offshore with low seas and light winds. We headed across the SW corner of Stellwagen Bank on our way further east. We had been contacted by other whale watching boats about a large concentration of humpback whales feeding on the eastern edge of Stellwagen Bank. So we passed by a few single animals as we crossed over the SW corner as we continued to head east.

As we approached the east side of the bank, we found a few groups of whales that appeared to be feeding deep. Our first sighting was a trio that included an unnamed mother and her calf who were traveling with a humpback whale named Buzzard. Buzzard and the mother were feeding deep while the calf spent more time on the surface. This calf is the same one we have seen on a number of occasions this season and is easily recognized by the prop scars forward of the dorsal fin and on its flanks. This calf was quite curious and spy hopped just off the stern of our boat. 

As we waited for this trio to return to the surface, a second trio of humpbacks whales surfaced and moved toward our position. This also included a mother and calf who turned out to be Anchor and her calf. The companion to this pair was a whale with a black ventral tail pattern making it impossible for us to identify the whale in the field. Humpback ventral tail patterns that are all black are some of the most difficult whales to identify in the field. But we took a few photographs of the tail so will try to identify this individual later in the lab. 

As Anchor and her companion whale dove to feed deep, the calf returned to the surface and started to log (rest). Soon the calf appeared to take an interest in some of the algae that was floating near its head. But as we watched the calf, a small recreational boat started moving to quickly toward this animal and was approaching the calf head on. This boat continued to move toward the calf even after it reached the 100 foot minimum distance for safe viewing. We called out to the vessel and its passengers telling them to stop and we soon realized that the operator of this vessel had no idea how to safely maneuver around whales. 

The calf dove quickly to avoid the approaching boat. Then it surfaced and flipper slapped dove again and came out of the water in a spinning head breach. Most of us aboard the boats realized that these active behaviors were a sign that the calf was distressed by the improper approach of this small recreational vessel.

And it was obvious that this operator did not know the Whale Watch Guidelines set down by the NOAA Fisheries to protect these endangered marine animals as well as to ensure the safety of passengers aboard boats, especially small vessels. We tried to inform this recreational vessel of the guidelines, but as we watched, Anchor, her calf and the companion whale surfaced right in front of the small boat. Instead of holding their position, the operator put the engines in gear and moved forward towards this group even when the animals were right off the bow.

We encourage all vessel operators, whether operators of recreational boats or commercial vessels, to become informed and knowledgeable of the NOAA Fisheries guidelines. Click on this link to read and download NOAA's Whale Watch Guidelines brochure. Whale Watch Guidelines. You can also click on the link to the right under our Relevant Websites section of this blog. 

We also encourage all boaters to carry a copy of the Whale Watching Guidelines aboard their vessel for reference if needed offshore. There are strict fines for any vessel that breaks these guidelines due to the fact that all whales, dolphins and porpoises are protected under the Mariune Mammal Protection Act and many are also protected under the Endangered Species Act. 

As we watched these two different groups of humpbacks feed deep in this area, a small commercial fishing boat quickly came into the area and set their lines and their kite. Tuna fisherman use kites when they use live bait. The kite helps to keep the bait away from the boat and at the surface. Fisherman know that many types of fish feed in areas where whales are feeding, even giant bluefin tuna. Unfortunately, these fisherman should not have set their lines right in the middle of these two groups of whales for Anchor's calf came over to the boat to investigate the red balloon that was helping to keep some of the lines near the water's surface. 

The calf got the monofilament line caught on its dorsal fin and this contact with the line appeared to take the calf by surprise. Monofilament is thin, clear line and the calf probably saw only the red balloon, not the line. The calf immediately dove and you could see the line drapping over the calf's fluke. I am not sure if the line snagged on the calf's body, but the fisherman quickly cut the line. 

It was a bit of a crazy day to say the least, and the actions we observed by a few of the boats in the area reminds us that humpback whales face many challenges as they feed off our New England shores. If everyone could follow the whale watch guidelines, we would reduce the incidence of harasmment of these beautiful and endangered marine mammals. And everyone, including the whales, would have a less stressful time offshore.

Whale Watching Trip September 15, 2009

12 noon Whale Watch - Krill

A fabulous day offshore given the clear skies, excellent visibility and low sea state. We headed toward the SW corner of Stellwagen Bank and there found 4 to 5 humpback whales that were feeding on the corner. Our first sighting was a single humpback whale named Gladiator that was kick feeding at the surface. This animal kicked with it's tail at the surface creating a huge splash or disturbance. Then the whale swam under the bait fish as it blew bubbles in order to create a net-like structure. This is a common feeding technique used by humpback whales that come to our waters to feed on small schooling fish. But what was so incredible about this sighting was the fact that the baitfish that the whale was feeding were themselves feeding on krill.  

We typically don't see large blooms or patches of krill in our area for this type of plankton prefers colder waters to the north. But as we looked into the water, we saw a reddish tint or color to the water, a clear indication that krill are present. And we saw the krill almost pop out of the water as they tried to escape their arch enemy, the American sand lance. And so in front of our eyes, we had a wonderful example of the marine food chain in action. All around the boat we saw thousands of krill being fed on by sand lance who were being fed upon by the whales. 

As we watched this animal continue to feed, the whale suddenly changed its feeding style and started to side-lunge feed. The whale stopped using the showy kicking technique, but instead rolled on its side and slowly lunged with mouth wide open. This side-lunging technique is often seen when whales feed on krill or some other type of large zooplankton. As the whale opened its mouth, our passengers got a great look at the rows of baleen plates hanging down from the whale's upper jaw.

As we continued to watch this humpback whale, our crew threw the plankton net in the water in hopes of catching krill and other planktonic organisms. As they pulled the net into the water, we were treated to a wonderful sample that included hundreds of krill and smaller zooplankton that were probably being fed upon by the krill. We were not able to catch any sand lance these fish are very fast and easily move out of the way of the plankton net as it is being towed behind the boat.  

As we moved away from this whale, we picked up a mother and calf pair that turned out to be Nile and her 4th calf.  Watching this pair, we got the impression that Nile was feeding deep and her calf was spending more time close to the surface. Often the calves wait patiently for mom to stop feeding so they can start nursing from the mother. And after 10 minutes, the calf did indeed start to nurse from Nile for we saw the calf surface on alternate sides of Nile as the pair slowly swam at the surface. Nile's calf will soon leave its mom, but it was wonderful to witness this very special bond between mother and calf. 

As we moved off and started heading back to Plymouth Harbor, we picked up a second mother and calf pair that turned out to be Lavalier and calf. Lavalier and calf swam very close to one another and even fluked-out in unison. Mom appeared to be feeding deep as the calf was logging or resting at the surface. Soon however, it was time to head home and so we said good-bye to this pair and continued our journey to the west. Everyone had a wonderful ride back to the harbor as we chatted about all the wonderful sightings we had on today's trip.