Fall 2012 Print Newsletter - Blue Ocean Society for Marine

Fall
2012
143 Pleasant Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 431-0260 www.blueoceansociety.org
Blue Ocean Society for
Marine Conservation
A 501(c)(3)non-profit organization
dedicated to protecting marine mammals
in the Gulf of Maine through education,
research and conservation.
The Best (and Worst) Day of Whale Watching
Board of Directors
Helen Brewster, Co-Chair
Nancy Anderson, Co-Chair & Volunteer
Coordinator
Julie Myers, Treasurer
Sandy Berkenbush
Nancy Kaplan Corbett
Jody Record
Staff
Jennifer Kennedy, Co-Founder & Executive
Director
Dianna Schulte, Co-Founder & Research
Coordinator
Patty Adell, Development Coordinator
Candace Dolan, Hodgson Brook
Watershed Coordinator
Abby Gronberg, Programs Coordinator
Research Associates
Beth Bentley
Jonathan Gwalthney
David MacLaren
Katie Murphy
Amy Warren
Melanie White
—— THANK YOU ——
Major Sponsors/Funders
NOAA Marine Debris Program
New Hampshire Coastal Program
NH Dept. of Environmental Services
Jessie B. Cox CLT-Cox Family Fund
SPS New England
Blue Ocean Music Hall
Waste Management
Isles of Shoals Steamship Company
Treehouse Toys, LLC
All of Our Volunteers!
This newsletter was printed with grant funding
from NOAA’s Community-based Marine Debris
Prevention and Removal Grants Program and
under the Coastal Zone Management Act by
NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource
Management in conjunction with the New
Hampshire Coastal Program.
Would you rather receive
our newsletters via e-mail?
Email us at
info@blueoceansociety.org
Fin whale and dolphins, August 2012
By Dianna
Schulte
As a follow-up
to my last
a r t i c l e ,
“When’s the Best Time to
See Whales?” (Summer
2012,
available
at
blueoceansociety.org), I
am happy to report that
the best time to see whales
during the 2012 season
was August 25! But it also
may have been the worst.
Imagine being alongside
7 enormous fin whales
with a pod of friendly
At l a nt i c
w hi t e - s i de d
dolphins surrounding you,
all the while seeing
breaching and flipperslapping
humpback
whales in the near
distance. And don’t forget
about the speedy minke
whales darting back and
forth in the midst of all
(Continued on page 2)
The Challenges of Cleaning Offshore Islands
By Jennifer
Kennedy
Look out at
the Gulf of
Maine on just
about
any
day, and you’ll see fishing
activity. Fishing provides
food, recreation, and a
livelihood
for
many
fishermen, but also has
effects on the marine
environment,
including
the risk of entanglement
(in fishing line and ropes)
or entrapment (e.g., in lost
lobster traps). Cleanups
White Island
are one way we reduce
these effects.
Cleanup of fishing gear
is complicated due to state
laws, which protect the
gear (even when it appears
abandoned on the beach)
as the property
of its
owner.
While
it’s
(Continued on page 3)
PAGE 2
S E A NO T E S
FA LL 2 0 1 2
Foreground: Perseid; Background: Valley (left) and Fulcrum (right)
Photo by Melanie White
(Best & Worst Whale Watch,
Continued from page 1)
this activity! This scenario actually
happened - and was by far my
favorite day of the season, and very
possibly my favorite day of whale
watching in years.
As we spent time with the fin
whales, we quickly recognized
several members of the group as old
friends. Identifying individual
whales by their unique, natural
markings is critical to our research
and allows us to learn more about
the individuals as well as the
population. Do the whales know
each other? Have they been seen
together before? How long do these
groups last? Are they feeding
Adopt-a-Marine Creature
Sightings
Humpback Whales:
Pinball (and her 6th calf)
Owl
Satula
Fin Whales:
Fjord
Comet
Ladder
Shark, Sunfish, Dolphin
Gills: 22 sightings (5% of trips)
Sunny: 18 sightings (4% of trips)
Stripes: 127 sightings (26% of trips)
together, courting or socializing? So
many questions have yet to be
answered in the world of whale
research so I was happy to have this
chance to see who was in the group
and try to solve some mysteries.
Ladder, first identified in 1981
and tracked annually by us since
1996, is distinguishable by the
small propeller scar he bears on his
right side. Zipper was also first
seen by us in 1996, and though not
seen as frequently as Ladder, is
memorable due to the long thin line
of propeller scars down its spine.
Fin whale #0834 was an exciting
find as prior to this sighting, all we
had to identify this whale was a
close-up photo of an exceptional
scar on its left side taken in 2008.
This large scar was also caused by a
boat’s propeller.
After collecting images of the
other fin whales in the group, we
moved on to investigate some of the
humpback whales on the periphery.
We found a trio of females, Perseid,
Valley and Fulcrum. Perseid was a
little tricky to identify as she has a
nearly all-black tail and nondescript dorsal fin. Valley is pretty
easy since she has just a hump for a
dorsal fin, and tell-tale scars caused
by killer whale teeth on her tail.
Fulcrum used to be tough to
identify based on her dorsal fin
alone, at least until 2003 when she
showed up with a new, horrific
Our 2012 Research Season
(May-October 2012)
The Boats & People:
404 Whale Watch Trips
24,974 Whale watch passengers
educated
15 Interns and volunteers participating
in education and research, donating
3,547 hours
The Whales:
131 Individual humpbacks identified (a
record year for us!)
45 Fin whales that were also seen in
prior seasons (more ID’s coming)
Many sightings of sea turtles! (at least
6 leatherbacks, 3 loggerheads and
possibly a green turtle)
4 Entanglements documented by BOS
researchers
5 Entanglements on Jeffreys Ledge
documented by others
Sunny: 18 sightings (4% of trips)
Stripes: 127 sightings (26% of trips)
Breaching Humpback
Photo by Abigail Gronberg
S E A NO T E S
PAGE 3
(Island Cleanups, cont. from page 1)
frustrating to see fishing gear on
the beach, it must be left alone,
although it can be reported to local
conservation officers.
Successful Gear Cleanups
We were, however, able to clean
up a significant amount of gear on
the Isles of Shoals this summer,
thanks to a lot of planning, and the
help of marine patrol officers from
NH and Maine. The Isles of Shoals
are 9 islands located about 5 miles
off the coast. Five of the islands are
in Maine, 4 are in New Hampshire.
The islands and surrounding
waters provide important habitat
for
migratory
birds,
fish,
invertebrates
and
marine
mammals. Due to their rocky
terrain, offshore location, and state
laws, conducting the cleanups was
challenging. One of the most
demanding cleanups was at White
Island and Seavey Island, which are
located in New Hampshire waters
and joined by a land bridge only
accessible at low tide.
These islands provide important
nesting habitat for common, roseate
and arctic terns, which made
cleanup a priority.
After quick a survey of White and
Seavey Islands on August 3, we
scheduled a full cleanup on August
14. We headed out to the islands
aboard the 40-foot fishing vessel
Yesterday’s Storm, with Rye Harbor
fisherman Lee Schatvet at the
helm, and a skiff in tow. White
Island has a small boat ramp, but
no dock, so the boat tied up to a
mooring, and then the six of us
motored to the island on the skiff.
The cleanup involved picking up
The F/V Yesterday’s Storm loaded with debris from White Island
debris around the islands, plus
cleaning-up a large pile of lobster
traps that had accumulated on
White Island. This pile had
basically turned into a large jumble
of vinyl-coated wire mesh, ropes
and netting, that we separated with
bolt
cutters,
knives,
and
determination under the watchful
eye of a NH Marine Patrol officer.
Working with Sue Reynolds,
founder of the Lighthouse Kids, and
volunteers and staff from the Tern
Restoration Project, we hand-loaded
all the debris onto the skiff, where
it was taken to the Yesterday’s
Storm. After a 1-hour trip back to
Rye Harbor, the debris was brought
to a dumpster in the parking lot,
which was later taken to a recycling
facility. It was an exhausting day,
but showed that a few people,
Debris
(Pounds)
Star Island, NH - August
White & Seavey Islands, NH - August (2 trips)
Appledore Island, ME - June
Appledore Island, ME - September
TOTAL
Debris
(Pieces)
681
480
2,802
795
557
323
76
547
4,116
2,145
Cleanups at the Isles of Shoals, Summer 2012, and the pounds and number of
pieces of debris that were removed.
working together, can get a lot done
– we removed 795 pieces of debris
totaling 2,752 pounds.
There’s Still More To Do
We still have much to do. Due to
space and time limitations, we had
to leave some traps on the islands.
Future cleanups will depend on the
availability of Marine Patrol and
having an open window of time in
which nesting birds will not be
disturbed by a cleanup. So, a
successful cleanup at the Isles of
Shoals requires not only careful
planning, but good weather, calm
seas, the right tides, available
transportation, no nesting birds,
enough staff and volunteers, and
the availability of marine patrol.
Given these odds, I’m so proud of all
we accomplished this summer.
In addition to the 69 traps
removed from White Island, we
removed 22 traps from Appledore
and Star Island with permission
from NH and Maine marine patrol
officers. We also removed over 2,000
other pieces of debris. This
amounted to a grand total of 4,116
pounds of debris removed from 4 of
the islands during the summer.
In 2013, we will re-visit the
(Continued on page 7 )
PAGE 4
S E A NO T E S
FA LL 2 0 1 2
My First Fin Whale Necropsy
50-foot Fin whale on beach in Rockport, MA, surrounded by necropsy staff and volunteers. Photo by Amy Warren
By Amy Warren, BOS
Educator, Volunteer
and 2011 Intern
Arriving on a New
England beach on a
breezy, cold first day of November
at 8 A.M. is not usually what one
might consider exciting. Even add
in the smell of a decomposing
animal. However, none of that could
diminish my enthusiasm. Walking
on the beach was sad at first, seeing
a large animal, which I had
developed a great amount of respect
for over the past couple years, dead
on the beach. But the opportunity to
get right up next to the second
largest species to ever live on the
planet is humbling.
This whale was a fin whale, an
animal I see whale watching all the
time. It was estimated to be about
50 feet long, a bit smaller than an
average full-grown fin whale. After
talking to some of the locals, we
found out the whale had been given
a nickname, “Gypsy” for its travels
from Boston Harbor to multiple
places in Rockport MA. As you may
be aware, Blue Ocean Society
identifies fin whales aboard the
whale watching boats and some
have even been given names. Since
this whale washed up in Boston
Harbor initially, it was not likely a
whale seen by BOS.
As I walked up to the animal,
everyone who was there to assist in
the necropsy (animal autopsy) was
gathered around the whale, waiting
for direction. Even with about 20
people from different organizations,
the 50 foot whale was an
overwhelming task. The first cuts
were made, neatly and methodically
removing squares of the outer most
layers. This was the cleanest job
seen all day—it got messier as the
day went on. The more people that
began to cut, the faster the whale
lost its shape. Very quickly it was
an indistinguishable pile of remains
and large bones.
The job was much less methodical
than a normal necropsy. Since the
whale had been dead for over a
month, the bones were the only
thing that was to be salvaged from
the body.
Since this 50 foot whale had jaw
bones as long as a car, heavy
equipment was needed. Both an
excavator and a loader were
brought onto the beach to assist.
The loader was able to easily lift the
large jaw bones. Whenever a large
bone was relocated by the
machinery, I would find myself
stopping to stare in awe of the size
that’s just so hard to understand
from a boat.
The skull was unfortunately
broken in multiple pieces but when
the large back portion was lifted, it
was longer than anyone was tall.
The smaller flipper bones were the
size of my foot. A single scapula
(shoulder blade) was over two feet
in diameter, wider than my entire
back. The larger vertebrae were
bigger around than my body. And
remember, this whale was a small
individual for its species.
The more I cut, the easier it was
to forget what I was cutting. But I
was quickly reminded when the
loader picked up the upper jaw or
the top of the head. Unlike most of
the
whale,
which
was
unrecognizable, it looked just like
the head of a surfacing fin whale
I’ve seen countless times from the
S E A NO T E S
PAGE 5
American Cetacean
Society Conference
Informs & Inspires
(Fin whale, continued from page 4)
The fin whale’s enormous head.
Photo by Amy Warren
(Fin whale necropsy, cont. from page 4)
boat. I even went to pat it on the
“nose” once it was placed down.
The incoming tide helped speed
things along. The excavator and
loader
worked
together
systematically to move the whale
ahead of the tide. The bones were
loaded onto trucks and trailers
while most of the soft tissues were
buried in the parking lot at the
beach.
The bones went to a temporary
grave in Fremont NH, where we
turned the work over to the dirt and
bugs to help clean the bones. The
clean bones are then to be dug up
next year and will find a final home.
This was an unforgettable
experience for me. It was the closest
I’ve ever been to a whale of that
size, and an opportunity to learn so
much more about this species.
Seeing an animal in that state is
always upsetting, especially since it
is an endangered species. But when
the unfortunate happens, it is
important to use it as learning
opportunity.
Thanks to our friends from the
Seacoast Science Center for inviting
us to help with this necropsy!
By Jennifer Kennedy
Just prior to finishing this
newsletter, I and a small contingent
of New England colleagues attended
the American Cetacean Society
conference in San Diego, CA. The
conference is held every other year,
and provides an opportunity to learn
about cetaceans (whales, dolphins
and porpoises), discuss marine
conservation topics, showcase our
work, and network with colleagues.
We were excited to share our work
via two posters—one which I
presented on our web site, designed
by staff at UNH Cooperative
Extension, that maps sightings of
whales and marine debris. The other
showcased a study done by 2012
summer interns Leah Danny, Katie
Conroy, and Dominique Weilermann
about the potential entanglement
risk for humpback and fin whales in
the Gulf of Maine.
The conference included
information on the movements of
humpback and gray whales, the
chemical pollutants in killer whales,
and discussions of cetaceans in
captivity, among many other topics.
It finished with an inspiring
discussion on what humans can do to
help whales—and the consensus
seemed to be that simple actions can
make all the difference. As Bruce
Mate of Oregon State University’s
Marine Mammal Institute said,
“reuse, recycle, and be low key. Just
clean up the beach!” I couldn’t agree
more.
Summer 2012 Interns Leah Danny and
Katie Conroy with their poster at the
American Cetacean Society conference.
Photo by Jen Kennedy
PAGE 6
S E A NO T E S
FA LL 2 0 1 2
Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins. Photo by Dianna Schulte
(Whale Watch, cont. from page 2)
injury from a boat, leaving her
dorsal fin sliced like a loaf of bread.
So by now you are seeing a trend.
Three fin whales and at least one
humpback whale seen on this
incredible day of whale activity had
been hit by a boat at some point in
their life and their most obvious
identifying markings were not
natural. I began thinking this might
not be the best day of whale
watching after all. Even though the
water was calm and seemed
peaceful, the scars on these whales
are all sad reminders of the human-
caused threats they face every day.
What can we do? Shipping lanes
into Boston have been shifted to
redirect large ship traffic to areas
less-frequented by whales.
Educational signs to educate
recreational boaters have been
posted at marinas and boat ramps
throughout southern New England
and programs. Still, we need to do
more. We all need to be a part of the
solution by raising awareness of
this issue. Tell your friends and
family. Ask them to spread the
word, too. We will do our part as
well by continuing to speak about
these issues at our public
presentations, through our blog, on
our website and in newsletters. My
hope is that by increasing
awareness, captains of vessels both
large and small will think twice
before speeding past a whale
watching boat, or simply give the
whales they see the comfortable
space they deserve. With fewer
boat/whale collisions, we will
certainly have more whales to
watch and hopefully more “best
days of whale watching”.
For more information on responsible
whale watching, visit http://
www.nero.noaa.gov/prot_res/mmv/
Special Thanks to Our Affiliated Whale Watch Companies, and our
2012 Interns and Volunteers!
Whale Watch Companies:
Atlantic Whale Watch
Granite State Whale Watch
Newburyport Whale Watch
Al Gauron Fishing &
Whale Watching
Interns:
Alicia Franklin
Christie Hilliard
Devon Robinson
Dominique Weilermann
Erich Dietterle
Katie Conroy
Kelsi O'Neil
Leah Danny
Lindsey Myers
Nathan Alba
Whale Watch Volunteers:
Alexis D'Amour
Alyssa Bell
Kathryn Carlsen
Catherine Correnti
Cyncy Smith
Diane Kablik
Dick and Katy Fralick
Jennifer James
Jessica Rich
John Crockett
Whale Watch Volunteers, cont.
Rebecca Potter
Sue Murphy
Kim Donoghue
Madison Moran
Melanie Yates
Melissa Allen
Michelle Olsen
Nancy Anderson
Rebecca Linder
Summer 2012 interns Dominique
Weilermann and Christie Hilliard
Photo by Patty Adell
S E A NO T E S
PAGE 7
2013 Beach Cleanups
All of the following cleanups are at
Jenness Beach in Rye, NH.
All supplies provided. Please signup by emailing
info@blueoceansociety.org or
calling (603) 431-0260.
Tern chick on Seavey Island.
Photo by Gabriela Bradt
(Shoals Cleanups, cont. from page 3)
islands for another survey and
clean-up so we can learn about
debris accumulation patterns, and
further protect the wildlife that live
on and around them. We also heard
recently from the local stranding
organization Marine Mammals of
Maine that about seals on Duck
Island, another one of the Isles, that
have been entangled in marine
debris. A cleanup here will be
challenging—not only is the island
Want to hear (and see) more?
Check out some videos from our
cleanups on our YouTube channel
at
www.youtube.com/
blueoceansociety, and more reports
and
photos
at
http://
nhmarinedebris.blogspot.com.
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Dr. Gabriela Bradt, NH Sea
Grant & UNH Cooperative
Extension
Lee Schatvet, Owner/Captain of
the F/V Yesterday's Storm
NH Fish and Game
NH Marine Patrol
NH Port Authority
Shoals Marine Lab
Sue Reynolds
Maine Marine Patrol
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Star Island Corporation
LOAS I Conference
Dan Hayward and Lara from
the Tern Restoration Project
Waste Management
The Prospect Mountain High
School Outing Club-Alumni
Michael Toepfer
Amy Warren
Isles of Shoals Steamship Co.
Pete Reynolds
Thank you especially to NOAA and the Fishing for Energy Project for
funding that enabled us to plan and conduct these cleanups.
Sat., January 5, 10:30 AM
Sat., February 2, 10:30 AM
Sat., March 2, 10:30 AM
Sat., March 30, 10:30 AM
Sat., April 27, 10:30 AM
Sat., May 25, 10:30 AM
Wed., June 26, 6:30 PM
Wed., July 24, 6:30 PM
Wed., August 21, 6:30 PM
Sat., September 21, 10:30 AM
Sat., October 19, 10:30 AM
Sat., November 16, 10:30 AM
Sat., December 14, 10:30 AM
Other Cleanups:
Earth Day Cleanup dates TBA
International Coastal Cleanup:
Saturday, September 21
the former site of a World War II
bombing target, but landing a boat
there would be difficult.
We
definitely have our work cut out for
us, but are up for the challenge.
Thank you to all who were involved in this year’s cleanups
at the Isles of Shoals, including:
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Additional cleanups at other sites
will be posted on our web site at
www.blueoceansociety.org/
Research/schedule.html.
Cleanup Volunteers
Wanted!
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Beach cleanups open to the
public, listed on our web site.
Individuals, families and
groups welcome!
Gather a group of 10 or
more and we’ll host you at a
local cleanup site at a time that
works for you! All supplies
provided. This is a great teambuilding and community
service exercise that lets you
make an immediate impact on
the health of the environment!
Want a more solid
commitment? Join our Adopta-Beach program! Sites
available in York, ME, and
Portsmouth, Rye, Newington,
Hampton, and Seabrook, NH,
and Salisbury Beach, MA.
NON PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Portsmouth NH
Permit No. 43
Blue Ocean Society for Marine
Conservation
Gov. Langdon House
143 Pleasant Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: 603-431-0260
E-mail: info@blueoceansociety.org
Visit us online!
www.blueoceansociety.org
Printed on recycled paper. Please recycle!
Upcoming Events
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Sat., Dec. 1, 10:30 AM: Beach Cleanup at Jenness Beach, Rye, NH
Dec. 4-6: WSPA’s global symposium, Entanglement in Marine Debris –
Regional and Global Impacts on Animal Welfare: Seeking Solutions. We will
be presenting results of our marine debris work.
Thurs., Dec. 6, 4-7 PM: Holiday Sale & Open House. Enjoy free
refreshments and a great selection of gifts from Blue Ocean Society, Historic
New England, The White Starfish and local artist Matthew Smith. Gov.
Langdon House (parlor, enter at front door), 143 Pleasant Street,
Portsmouth, NH.
Sat., Dec. 8, 12-4 PM: Holiday Sale & Open House. Enjoy free
refreshments and a great selection of gifts from Blue Ocean Society, Historic
New England and The White Starfish. Gov. Langdon House (parlor, enter at
front door), 143 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH.
Wed., Dec. 12, 5-7 PM: Volunteer Night at our office. Help with office
projects—no special skills needed. Free refreshments!
Wed., Dec. 12, 7-8 PM: Volunteering Information Session. Info & RSVP:
volunteer@blueoceansociety.org
Sat., Dec. 15, 9:00 AM: Beach Cleanup at North Hampton State Beach,
North Hampton, NH
See page 7 for our 2013 beach cleanup schedule!
For More Information:
Visit www.blueoceansociety.org or
www.facebook.com/BlueOceanSociety or call 603-431-0260
“New Day”
An Art-Inspired Fundraiser
Stunning Matthew Smith artwork
now available, and 25% of your
purchase will benefit our marine
conservation efforts!
Visit www.blueoceansociety.org for
details!