Research News

Researchers Observe Sailing Whale off West Maui Coast

(Maui) Whale Trust’s research team captured this footage on February 7th near Olowalu, showing a mom with her head down and pectoral fins out while her young calf circles around. The encounter marks the third time this season that the team has identified the same female humpback whale displaying the rarely observed behavior known as “sailing.” The behavior, in which a whale lifts its tail clear of the water for long periods of time, is common in right whale populations but less common in humpbacks. When humpback whales, especially mothers, in Maui are observed sailing it is not uncommon to observe one individual repeating the behavior pattern within and between seasons. The purpose of sailing is unknown but one idea is that it may help to regulate body temperature.

Haley Robb, a Whale Trust research intern, reports, “The cow held her fluke in the air for 7-10 minutes before floating up, backward, and then resting at the surface for approximately 5 minutes. She then repeated the sailing behavior. We stayed with the cow and calf for two hours and were unable to determine if the calf nursed when the cow was holding this position. During our time with the group, there were two occasions when the cow and calf breached. It was noted that for a least one of the occasions there were other whales within 300 yards of the cow and calf.”

Whale Trust’s research programs focus on exploring the natural communication, behavior patterns, and social organization of whales. Its founders are passionate scientists and explorers who believe that science—the quest for answers to the most intriguing questions about our natural world—lies at the heart of environmental education and conservation. Results from Whale Trust’s field research are the basis for a broad program of outreach and education that involve the public, educators, and a new generation of researchers. As part of Whale Trust’s outreach, the organization hosts Whale Tales, an annual 4-day educational event in West Maui featuring presentations by world-renowned scientists, conservationists, and photographers. The 13th Annual Whale Tales is scheduled for February 15-18, 2019. Learn more at whaletrust.org,

Video: Ralph Pace, Whale Trust. NMFS Permit #19225.

Photo: Ralph Pace/Minden Pictures, Whale Trust. NMFS Permit #19225.

Whale Trust 2017-2018 Research Season Recap

The Whale Trust research team spent 87 days on the water this season:

Identifying 116 whales, with 12 confirmed matches to our catalog from previous years.
Collecting 8 tissue samples for hormone analysis to help understand the mating and birthing cycle on the breeding grounds.
Recording 20 different singers during three periods of the season – January, February, and March to study how the song changes over the season.
Capturing hundreds of photographs and hours of video footage for analysis of natural behavior. Highlights of the season included a nursing calf with its mother and a single female joined by two competitive males.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

PC: Ralph Pace. Photo obtained under NMFS permit #19225.

So Great to See You Again!

Meagan Jones, PhD and Haley Robb

Our team was thrilled to have several matches this season including:

A match with a female documented in the Alaska humpbacks catalog and last seen in 2004.
A match to a humpback documented in the Gulf of Alaska in 2006.
A match to our Whale Trust catalog of a female whale last seen in 2003 when she was paired with a male. This year, she was spotted as part of a competitive group!

PC: Flip Nicklin/Minden Pictures. Photo obtained under NMFS permit #987.

Sing to Me

Jim Darling, PhD

During the winter a total of 20 different singers were recorded. The season was divided into three periods; early (January), mid (February) and late (March) with 6, 7, and 7 singers recorded in each period respectively. Our objective is to determine if there is more similarity of song within each period than between the periods. This study compares songs sung at different times in one location to determine if the song provides an acoustic identity to whales that are present at any one time.

Pregnant? Mating?

Jim Darling and Meagan Jones

We collected tissue samples from 8 female humpbacks this season. We are interested in determining if the adult females paired with males were pregnant (and about to give birth) or not pregnant and about to mate. Pregnancy can be determined by analysis of the hormone levels in the blubber portion of the sample. On the one hand we will be surprised if these females are pregnant – while on the other hand, if they are not pregnant where are the mothers-to-be?

A Moment in Time

Flip Nicklin, Jason Sturgis, and Ralph Pace

A highlight of the season was a rarely observed interaction between a cow and calf. Both animals were very relaxed and the mother kept bringing the calf near the boat. While in the water documenting their behavior, we noticed the calf opening its mouth – not something that you see all the time. The calf then moved from the back of the mother up to her head and started opening and closing its mouth right beside her head. Then the mother completely stopped and the calf went to the nipple of the cow and began to nurse. You could see the calf tucked in under its mother and white milk seeping out from the sides of its mouth. It was magnificent to witness this first hand. Not only was it incredible to see nursing from a very comfortable cow and calf, it was remarkable to see the calf opening its mouth right in front of its mother. There are many possible interpretations of this behavior and we are left with more questions than answers.

Emerging Scientists

After completing her Bachelor of Science in marine biology last year, Haley Robb joined the Whale Trust Research Team as an intern throughout the 2017-18 research season. It has been incredible to work with Haley and watch as she pursued her passion. She helped capture ID photos and documentation through extensive field notes. Haley shares, “From as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with marine life. As middle school student, I was able to attend Whale Quest (Whale Tales), a wonderful event put on by Whale Trust serving to bridge the gap between research and local communities. Whale Trust has been an extremely influential part of my decision to become a marine biologist. Through their educational programs, many opportunities were created for me.” Haley has spent the off-season working on data analysis and ID matching and plans to join the team again during 2018-19 season!

Solitary Female

Flip Nicklin, Jason Sturgis, and Ralph Pace

We were out on the water in February and came across a single whale about 2 miles off Olawalu. We could see that the animal wasn’t too deep so we decided to slip over the side and get some footage and shoot some stills. After diving under the animal, we could see that it was a female. It is a rarity to see a female all by herself. We spent the better part of an hour with her when she was joined by a male with white pecs. There were some interesting social sounds being vocalized but it was impossible to tell who they were coming from. The white pec male had not been with her long when another male came in and displaced the white pec escort. Things then escalated into a mini-active group but the female was quite content to stay put and let the action revolve around her. It was wonderful to see that whole sequence from the beginning — not something that we get to witness very often.

PC: Flip Nicklin/Minden Pictures. Photo obtained under NMFS permit #19225.

Citizen Science Meets Research Photography

Meagan Jones, PhD and Cathy Maxwell, PhD (Whale Trust Board Member)

Happywhale tracks individual whales throughout our world’s oceans and believes that whale watching guides, naturalists, and passengers are vital to our understanding of whales. Scientists can only be in one place at one time; by harnessing the power of millions of whale watching enthusiasts, we can expand our scientific knowledge exponentially. Whale Trust is supporting the educational outreach of (Link) Happywhale by contributing to the online catalog. We love seeing matches come through and Whale Trust has now contributed more than half of the whale IDs in the catalog! Learn more and submit your photos next season at Happywhale.org!

Ed Lyman / HIHWNMS / NOAA Fisheries Permit #782-1719 (Original image has been altered to include Wave Glider)

Listen!

Jim Darling, PhD and Beth Goodwin (Jupiter Foundation)

Whale Trust is pleased to be a partner on Jupiter Foundation’s HUMPACS project. An unmanned wave glider recently returned from an unprecedented 3-month mission to listen for humpback whales in the deep ocean basin between Hawaii and Mexico. The mission provided more than 2000 hours of recordings for analysis. Stay tuned for results and in the meantime, learn more about the wave glider on the HUMPACS page.

At a Whale’s Pace

With whales spending 90% of their time underwater, one of the biggest challenges for a whale behaviorist is to actually see them! Thanks to your generous support, we are now on the cusp of new discoveries into the underwater social lives of whales on the breeding grounds.

The warm, clear waters of Hawai’i make this one of the best places in the world to study whale behavior. It is one of the few places we can actually observe whales underwater, on the surface and from the air. Many research breakthroughs have come from of this unique natural observatory. However, since whales move faster than a person can swim, our understanding of their behavior is often based on pieced together, fleeting glimpses. Key questions remain – some as fundamental as when and where mating occurs.

To help answer these questions, this winter we will embark on a new project designed to bring together traditional research techniques (individual identification, sound recording and biopsy sampling) with new technologies (unmanned aerial vehicles and a mounted camera jib).

NEW TECHNOLOGY USHERS IN A NEW ERA OF WHALE RESEARCH

With the new accessibility of drones, unprecedented and high-quality aerial views of whale behaviors and interactions are now cost-effective and possible. Our new underwater camera jib, mounted under the boat, allows us to film whales moving at their natural speed. Together, these new tools promise to give us a new window into fast-moving social groups.

Instead of seeing whale behavior in brief moments, we can now capture longer sequences of whale behavior as well as interactions between individual whales. This is a tremendous leap forward—much like the first underwater photographs of whales in the 1970s and 80s, which significantly altered the world’s perception of these animals.

Our challenge is to compile as complete a picture as possible of the behavior patterns occurring in social groups on the breeding grounds. Capturing this in real time will provide a new key to understanding the nature of whales. It also will help set a new foundation of knowledge into humpback behavior for future management and conservation programs.

From the 2016 Whale Trust Maui Newsletter (November 2016). Click here to read more!

2017: A Critical Year for Humpbacks in Hawaii

Next year (2017) may go down as one of the most critical years for humpback whale research in Hawaii in the last fifty years. For the first time since 1966 when whaling was deemed illegal in the North Pacific, humpbacks will no longer be considered an endangered species trying to come back from the brink of extinction. While there are many reasons to celebrate this recovery, on the heels of this landmark decision was one of the most abnormal winters on record for humpback whales across the Pacific Ocean.

The decision to delist humpbacks has left many researchers with mixed feelings on how to respond. On the one hand, there is no question that the number of humpbacks has increased substantially in most areas of the world since whaling stopped; and humpbacks will still be protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the U.S. On the other hand, the decision does not reflect or indicate that we actually understand the biological, ecological, and social requirements for these populations to continue to recover and thrive in a changing world. Indeed, we are venturing into unchartered territory with no clear grasp on how the complex and changing landscape of their environment will impact populations going forward. All of which is vital to developing and implementing any kind of meaningful conservation and management program.

The winter of 2016, in terms of the sheer number of whales and the behavior of whales on breeding grounds across the North Pacific, was undeniably one of the strangest on record. There were noticeably fewer whales, changes in migration patterns (the breeding season started later and ended earlier), dramatic changes in behavior (less surface activity associated with mating strategies, longer downtimes), and fewer mothers and calves observed. In Hawaii, we speculated that far fewer females had shown up than usual. If indeed this is true, where were they? Did they not migrate as far south as usual? Did they stay on or around the feeding grounds? If so, how has will this affect reproduction going forward?

We have no idea what happened in 2016 or why. One aberrant season does not warrant a crisis. However, what it did emphasize was an almost shocking lack of knowledge about these animals, and the stark recognition of a large gap in current research efforts. Systematic monitoring on the abundance of whales on breeding grounds has become nearly obsolete over the past ten years. Without collecting this kind of consistent baseline data it is impossible to determine just how different from “normal” 2016 really was.

As such, Whale Trust is expanding our core research program to include a systematic monitoring component that will contribute to validating and investigating large-scale changes in abundance and behavior. Our commitment to research on social organization, behavior and communication has not changed – but if nothing else, 2016 told us we need to do more. The change in the endangered species designation of humpbacks makes this responsibility even more compelling.

So why is 2017 so important? It marks the first season of the official ‘recovery’ of the humpback population that ironically coincides with the biggest mystery on humpback status since whaling stopped. Consequently, monitoring breeding populations will be even more vital this coming season than in previous ones. Either the season will be similar to 2016 in which case some critical questions as to the health of the population will arise, or, it will be back to “normal” in which case we will be left wondering what happened – with lingering questions about how sensitive whales are to minor changes in water temperature and what this means in the context of global warming.

No Show Humpbacks

*Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and young calf, Maui, Hawaii. Photo obtained under NMFS permit #987*

The 2016 humpback whale winter breeding season was one to remember – but possibly for all the wrong reasons! For those who have dedicated their professional lives to studying humpbacks, the winter of 2016 was noticeably different in terms of overall whale numbers, behaviors, and migration patterns – and this trend was noticed across the entire Pacific Ocean. In a recent article published in Hakai Magazine, Ilima Loomis dives into what researchers (including Whale Trust researchers) observed this year and if this change should be a cause for alarm.

Researchers from across the Pacific reported a reduction in the number of mother and calves, longer downtimes, unusual arrival and departure patterns, and an apparent decrease in surface activity. Coupled with an usually high die-off of large whales in Alaska the previous summer, we are now left trying to figure out why these changes occurred. Were these changes related to the El Nino (the strongest on record), compromised food quality, fewer successful pregnancies overall, and/or fewer females making the migration to the breeding grounds?
While we don’t know the answer to these questions yet, this unusual event has served as a potent reminder that even rebounding populations are at risk and reiterates the need for annual systematic surveys to assess and monitor populations. Whale Trust researchers are currently designing a new annual monitoring study of humpbacks off the coast of Maui to complement their ongoing behavioral research into humpback whale breeding societies.

Lahainaluna High School – From the Field to the Lab

Lahainaluna students in the field with Whale Trust Maui

Lahainaluna High School seniors are currently working alongside Whale Trust Maui researchers and biophysicists to determine if one day we might be able to determine pregnancy or reproductive cycles in free-ranging humpback whales.

For the last several years, the students have been analyzing tissue and blubber samples collected by Whale Trust Maui researchers to determine the sex of individuals (using DNA from skin samples) and to determine whether we can reliably measure the reproductive status of female humpbacks through hormones stored in the blubber of whales (e.g., estriol, estradiol).

In addition to the students working on the science, videography student, Tihani Cadiam Moore, filmed and produced a video of the student’s experiences and was featured on HIKI NO, the nation’s first statewide student news network on PBS Hawaii.

This ongoing project is part of a science education initiative led by Whale Trust Maui, Makana Aloha Foundation and Lahainaluna High School to provide mentorship opportunities for local students in the marine sciences.