WHALE TRUST MAUI

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Whale Trust Maui Blog

Autonomous (Robotic) Wave Glider Mission from Hawaii to Mexico Detects Humpback Whale Calls in Tropical Mid-Ocean and Questions Definition of Winter Breeding Assemblies

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Current NMFS humpback whale management policies assume Mexico and Hawaii winter assemblies are distinct with separate status and management warranted

BIG ISLAND, HAWAII – Jupiter Research Foundation and Whale Trust are pleased to announce the publication of the results of the first leg of their autonomous Wave Glider HUMPACS (Humpback Pacific Survey) acoustic survey in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America – Express Letters. During a 100-day nearly 7,000 km (3,800 nm) round trip survey on a line between Hawaii and Mexico, during winter breeding season of 2018, humpback whale calls were heard in mid-ocean basin, halfway between the known near-shore assemblies. 

“They’re not ‘supposed’ to be there,” says Dr. Jim Darling, Whale Trust biologist and project partner. Humpbacks are known to assemble in specific near-shore, relatively shallow, breeding grounds in Mexico and Hawaii. “But then no one has looked in these more remote, offshore areas either.”

Mission control was from Puako, Hawaii where Beth Goodwin, Jupiter Research Foundation VP and HUMPACS Project Manager, and her team were in daily communication with the Wave Glider: monitoring status, downloading surface and underwater photographs, downloading short samples of recordings via satellite, and making course alterations if needed.

From January 16 to April 25, 2018, the Wave Glider, named Europa (after one of Jupiter’s moons), performed a 6,965.5 km, 100-day (RT) continual acoustic survey from Hawaii towards Mexico circa 20° N. The survey resulted in 2,272 hours of recordings and included over 4,000 cetacean calls.  Of these calls, 2,048 were identified as humpback whale calls.

The humpback calls were recorded up to 2,184 km (1179 nm) offshore spanning 30 days between January 20, when the Wave Glider left Hawaii, to February 23, 2018. On many days, multiple humpback call detections were recorded (up to 377 calls over 23 hours of a day). Actual numbers of whales cannot be determined, as one whale can make many calls.

“This was risky, we had no idea if humpbacks were even out there,” says Goodwin. “And then, even if they were, there were needle-in-haystack odds of intersecting them considering the size of the Wave Glider and the size of the ocean.”

Possible explanations, suggests Darling, include an undocumented migration route to Hawaii, a separate (from Hawaii and Mexico) offshore assembly of humpback whales, or travel between Mexico and Hawaii assemblies within the same season. At the very least, these results indicate an extension of winter distribution and habitat of humpbacks. It could also be that these offshore whales have not been included in current population estimates.

Since 2016, the model used by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to manage humpback whale populations has treated the Mexico and Hawaii winter assemblies of humpback whales as distinct populations. As such, these populations have different status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA): Mexico humpback whales are considered threatened while Hawaii humpback whales have been delisted; that is, the Hawaii population has no protection under the ESA.

This assessment is further complicated by longstanding research showing shared song between the breeding assemblies and an interchange of photo-identified individual whales between these two winter breeding grounds.

Our findings question the independence of Mexico and Hawaii humpback whale populations and illustrate the huge potential for the use of autonomous vehicles in the study of whales across remote locations of the ocean.

“We feel certain our results will encourage more research, affect how humpback and other whales are monitored, and help with management,” says Goodwin.

The paper is online: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.5111970

BACKGROUND

Wave Glider

The Wave Glider (produced by Liquid Robotics, a Boeing Company) consists of a surfboard-sized surface platform (the float) tethered by an umbilical cable to a submerged glider (the sub) 8 m (26 ft.) below the surface. The float includes a command and control unit, three solar panels, an instrument package, surface and underwater cameras and communications systems. The sub is the propulsion unit, which transforms vertical wave movement into forward motion (https://www.liquid-robotics.com/wave-glider/how-it-works/). Time-lapse series of images from the two Europa cameras, surface and underwater, are accessible on the JRF blog:
http://jupiterfoundation.org/current/2018/5/22/f2l6bevguh177l21x42gi20pegicbv

About Jupiter Research Foundation

The Jupiter Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit scientific research organization. Established in 2003, the Foundation is dedicated to conducting innovative scientific research and finding technological solutions to problems which are outside of mainstream science and technology. Our findings are shared with the public and academic community in hopes of better monitoring and understanding the natural world. Visit https://jupiterfoundation.org/ to learn more.

About Whale Trust

Whale Trust is a Maui-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, support and conduct scientific research on whales and the marine environment and broadly communicate the findings to the public. Whale Trust research programs focus on behavior, communication and social organization of whales. For more information, visit https://whaletrust.org/.

Mixing of Humpback Whale Populations Across the North Pacific

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Current NMFS humpback whale management policies assume four distinct populations in the North Pacific. Song studies suggest an alternate population model is warranted.

MAUI, HAWAII June 5, 2019 – Whale Trust researchers and international colleagues are pleased to announce the publication of a multi-year study involving song comparison between four locations spanning the North Pacific in Scientific Reports, an online open-access journal from the publishers of Nature. Shared song composition between humpback whales found in Philippines, Japan, Hawaii and Mexico in winter indicates ongoing mixing of ‘populations’ at some point during their annual cycles. Convergence of song over this three-year period recalls similar song transmission when humpback whales off east coast of Australia adopted a song from a western Australia population during a late 1990s’ study.

“Mixing may be the rule, not the exception and part of the biology of North Pacific humpback whales,” says project leader Dr. Jim Darling, who has spent his career studying humpback whale singers and their song.

Studies over at least 35 years (1977-2013) have shown humpback whales in these different winter assemblies have shared all, or portions of these ever-changing complex songs, as cited in a comparison included in this study. The common song across the North Pacific over the long-term indicates ocean-wide interaction and the composition’s fluid nature, annual variable mixing. While acoustic contact is necessary to song transmission, Darling cautions its mechanics, and the purpose of the song for the whales, are not fully understood.

For scientists, the song provides an acoustic identity, since each singer in a ‘population’ sings the same version of the ever-changing song. Singers, exclusively male, broadcast the song starting in fall, continuing through the winter migrations, and tapering off in spring before summer feeding. Recorded by hydrophone by teams of scientists across these four locations, the song’s composition was compared and analyzed by Darling.

“Song composition appears to reflect the recent interactions of populations of whales,” says Darling. Shared song suggests these populations may not be as independent of one another as outlined by management policies in effect. While Hawaiian humpbacks were delisted from endangered status in 2016, a reevaluation of their relationship with populations in Asia and Mexico may be warranted.

“Song should be considered when defining humpback whale populations across the North Pacific,” says Darling.

Currently, NOAA/NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) does not include song amongst the data determining populations.

“We may be making decisions around population management based on a model which doesn’t reflect humpback whale behavior in the North Pacific,” posits Darling.

The question must be posed, how can Mexico whales be ‘threatened’ and Asian whales “endangered” but Hawaii whales “warrant no protection” when it’s clear all three groups are integrated?

“We have been delighted to collaborate with Dr. Jo Marie Acebes in the Philippines, Manami Yamaguchi in Ogasawara, Japan, and Dr. Jorge Urbán and Oscar Frey in Baja and mainland Mexico,” says Whale Trust’s Executive Director, Dr. Meagan Jones. “This study would not have been possible without them. Thank you to all who supported this project and continue to support these independent studies across the Pacific.”

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BACKGROUND

CURRENT MANAGEMENT

The NOAA/NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) review of humpback whale populations that informed the decision to delist Hawaiian humpbacks from the endangered species list in 2016 divided the North Pacific population into four Distinct Population Segments and designations:

Central American – Endangered

Mexico – Threatened

Hawaii – No protection warranted

Western North Pacific – Endangered

For the sake of management, these groups are considered independent of one another. The conclusions were reached after a review of “genetic data, tagging and photographic-ID data, demographic information, geographic barriers, and stranding data.” Notably, songs were not considered in these deliberations. The songs suggest that, in fact, these populations are interactive − and potentially dependent on one another. The two views are so contradictory that implications to management going forward are significant.

The paper, published in Scientific Reports volume 9, can be viewed online and is available for download at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42233-7.

ABOUT WHALE TRUST:

Whale Trust is a Maui-based non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, support, and conduct scientific research on whales and the marine environment, and broadly communicate the findings to the public. Whale Trust research programs focus on behavior, communication and social organization of whales. Results from Whale Trust field research are the basis for a broader program of outreach and education that involves the public, educators and students. For more information, visit www.whaletrust.org.

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Researchers Observe Sailing Whale off West Maui Coast

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(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 Tales 2019

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Whale Tales brings together marine experts and thousands of residents and visitors from around the world each year. Each year since 2006, world-renowned presenters have joined the Whale Trust research team on Maui to collaborate and share the latest findings on humpback whales and their environment. Over four days, scientists, photographers, filmmakers and conservationists join the public for a memorable weekend of engaging talks, receptions and exciting whale watches. In 2019, Whale Tales will be held February 15-18 at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. Stay tuned for the detailed program and schedule of events. Early registration and benefit whale watch tickets coming soon!

Whale Tales has raised more than $650,000 in 12 years for whale research in Hawaii! All proceeds from the Whale Tales event are distributed to selected beneficiary organizations and students to support whale research in Hawaii through the Whale Tales Beneficiaries Program.

Corporate and individual sponsors are critical to bringing this world-class event to Maui each year. Be a part of the continuing success of Whale Tales as a sponsor!

Whale Tales is an esteemed marine-science event among whale researchers and enthusiasts around the world. The annual event, hosted by Whale Trust, was established in 2006 to bridge the information gap between scientists working in the field and the public. Researchers, photographers, filmmakers and conservationists collaborate together to share and to help raise money to support ongoing research and education.

Partnering with Whale Trust as a Whale Tales Sponsor emphasizes your commitment to the future of our oceans. As a Whale Trust partner, we are happy to tailor sponsorship benefits to your business objectives or individual needs. See page 6 for 2019 sponsorship benefits. Your sponsorship contract will allow you to select which benefits best suit your needs as a sponsoring partner.

View Sponsorship Opportunities
PDF | Online

Become a Whale Tales 2019 Sponsor

Whale Trust 2017-2018 Research Season Recap

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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.

 

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

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?

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is The Ocean Blue? Not to whales.

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By Jim Maxwell, Ph.D.

ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH!

We don’t know if whales can count but we do know they can’t tell one color of fish from another.  Whales are color blind. Why cetaceans are color blind remains somewhat of a mystery. Except for some nocturnal species, virtually all land mammals have color vision and, presumably, so did the ancient ancestors of whales from which they evolved (the closest living animal to the whale is the semi-aquatic hippopotamus). The lack of color vision in cetaceans must have occurred early in their evolutionary development because all cetaceans studied so far, whether toothed or baleen, have been found to be essentially color blind. Interestingly, pinnipeds (seals) are also color blind.  Since seals and whales are not closely related, scientist think that the loss of color vision must have served some advantage millions of years ago when their ancestors lived in coastal environments.

In order to understand color vision in whales, it helps to know a little bit about how the visual system works in humans and most other mammals. The retina in the back of the eye contains two types of light receptors, cones and rods, that convert light energy into electrical signals that can be further processed by the brain. Cones are active in the light and are responsible for color vision and the perception of detail. Rods are much more sensitive to light and take over for the cones in dim light but rods are typically not involved in color vision.

Most land mammals have two types of cones.  One type of cone is most sensitive to the red-green part of the color spectrum (long to medium wavelengths of light) and the other is most sensitive to the blue (short wavelength) part of the spectrum. Somewhere along the line, most odontocetes (toothed whales) and seals, through genetic mutations, lost the functionality of short-wavelength-sensitive receptors (S-cones) leaving them with only the long to medium wavelength cones (L-cones) and rods. Because the brain relies on a comparison of the signals coming from different types of cones to produce the perception of color, having only one cone type leaves these marine mammals essentially color blind, or, “L-cone monochromats” in the jargon of vision science.

Studies within the past five years have indicated that many, and possibly even all, mysticetes (baleen whales) have not only lost the functionality of S-cones but the functionality of L-cones as well, making them totally reliant on rod photoreceptors for vision (and hence called “rod monochromats”). Rod monochromacy is rare in terrestrial mammals and results in very poor eyesight. By comparison, humans and many other primates have very good color vision having three types of cones.  Most other mammals (and color-blind humans) have only two types of cones and consequently cannot distinguish red from green. We do not have the best color discrimination in the animal kingdom by any means. Some reptiles, including some species of turtles, birds and fish have four types of cones and can see into the ultraviolet part of the spectrum not normally visible to humans.

Needless to say, whales do have functional vision even if it is in shades of gray, it’s just that they rely more on contrast than on color. How well whales see is hard to determine with any precision but it is certainly much inferior to the average human. The acuity of cetaceans, that is, their ability to discern detail, has been studied in trained dolphins and has also been estimated in several other species of toothed and baleen whales by examining the anatomy of their eyes and retinas. But that is a story for another blog.

Updated 4/5/2018