INTERESTING SIGHTINGS & TECHNOLOGY

Calves 8 and 9

There have been no new right whale sightings nearshore in our survey area since our last newsletter.  There have, however, been some interesting sightings elsewhere.  For starters, we are now up from 7 to 9 calves this season.

The 8th mother, Accordion, #4150, was first sighted with a calf by NOAA on February 3 off Sandy Hook, NY, far north of the traditional calving grounds.  We don’t know whether the calf was born that far north, or if the pair evaded detection earlier in the southeast. Accordion is estimated to be between 14 and 17 years old and this is her first known calf.

Calf number 9 was spotted by FWC on February 5 just south of Amelia Island, FL.  The mother, Cashew, #4292, is 23 years old and this is her 3rd known calf.  She is named for her biggest callosity, which looks like a curved cashew nut.

Koala and Curlew’s Big Adventure

The other exciting news concerns the two adult females, Koala and Curlew, who have been traveling together since late November.  The last time they were seen off the east coast of Florida was on January 13, heading south toward Boca Raton.  Several weeks went by with no new sightings, until they popped up on February 2 in an unusual location--near Mobile, Alabama! That day they were first sighted near Perido Pass, which seems fitting since “perdido” means “lost” in Spanish. 

Only a handful of right whales have been known to venture into the Gulf.  Between 2004 and 2020, three first-time mothers took their calves there (2004, Derecha; 2006, Boomerang; and 2020, Snow Cone).  Each mother-calf pair eventually exited the Gulf and headed north as expected. 

Koala and Curlew are the first pair of adult right whales recorded in the Gulf. They created quite a splash and garnered lots of media attention including an article by Dinah Pulver in USA Today, featuring images by our colleague Joel Cohen of BWRI.  By February 8, public reports showed that they had started moving eastward.  They were last seen on February 11 off Port Saint Joe, heading south. When and where will this traveling pair show up next?

Sightings of Koala and Curlew, Nov 24 to Feb 2 (yellow) and Feb 8 to Feb 11 (pink).  

(Based on preliminary data collected by CMARI, GDNR, FWC, MRWP, BWRI, and NOAA Fisheries)

Other Marine Animal Sightings

Over the past few weeks there have been several sightings of humpback whales. Around the beginning of February, our colleagues at BWRI sighted multiple humpback whales over 3 days off Melbourne Beach and Sebastian Inlet.  On February 12 there was a humpback breaching repeatedly off north Flagler Beach.

Be aware that at this time of year manta rays return to the waters along the east coast of Florida.  These large black and white rays have two fins that sometimes protrude from the water, so they are easily mistaken for dolphins.  They can also be mistaken for larger whales, since they create large splashes when they breach.  If something like this catches your eye, watch for additional cues such as a blow or a fluke to help determine if it is a whale or a manta ray.

Technology-Focused Mid-Season Meeting

On Saturday, February 8, about 110 volunteers gathered at the Whitney Lab for social hour, delicious potluck lunch, and presentations.  Sara gave updates on the calving season to date. She premiered two videos of sightings Koala & Curlew and Check Mark & calf.  These videos were shot and edited by volunteer drone pilot Jeff Greene and are now available on the Marineland Right Whale Project’s YouTube channel.   

Sara then discussed some emerging technologies to detect and conserve right whales, including satellite imaging, acoustic monitoring, and rope-on-demand fishing. Sector 1S Team Leader Mike Alyea described how he and Cindy Alyea recently provided support to an acoustic monitoring project.  They provided a boat and services to recover, and later redeploy, a Slocum glider outfitted with a passive acoustic monitoring package.  The research project, led by Erin Meyer-Gutbrod (University of South Carolina) and Catherine Edwards (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography), is testing the feasibility of using gliders to autonomously listen for and record right whale vocalizations in the shallow coastal waters of the southeast U.S.  (This news piece on All Things Considered summarizes the project nicely.) 

Team photo after a successful recovery of a Slocum glider off Saint Augustine, FL, Jan 29, 2025. Image: Mike Alyea

Sector 4 volunteers Zoe Rauscher and her mother Laura Rauscher took turns presenting some innovations that they designed for our program: new sightings cards and a modern website.  In addition to providing the whale hotline number and right whale characteristics, the cards include two QR codes: one pointing to an online donation page, the other to our sleek and informative website MarinelandRightWhale.org.  Check out the website when you get a chance!

Mark Your Calendars

Saturday, March 8:  Last official survey. 

Saturday, March 15, 1:30-4:00pm:  Season wrap-up meeting at the Whitney Lab.  

In the meantime, let’s hope for good sighting conditions and more right whales in our survey area.  

Flippers crossed!

Sara and Jim

WIND AND WHALES

What a Difference a Week Makes!

Our third and fourth weeks of surveys were a study in contrast. The week of Jan 19 brought a tornado warning, cold weather advisories, and strong sustained winds from the north. Aerial survey teams from South Carolina to Florida were grounded, and we cancelled our shore-based surveys (although some intrepid souls scanned the waters from time to time).  On Saturday Jan 25, as the seas began to settle, our volunteers mounted full lookouts and FWC’s plane surveyed as far north as St. Simons Island, GA.  No mother-calf pairs were spotted.

Sunday Jan 26 heralded a stretch of warm weather and calm seas. It didn't take long for the phone to start ringing!  At 8:45 am, Team 2 Sunday called from the Marineland boardwalk with their team's first ever whale sighting: two whales with V-shaped blows, heading south!  Sara verified the sighting, notified leaders of nearby community teams at Surf Club, Cinnamon Beach, and Hammock Dunes, and called all our drone pilots.

Members of Team 2 Sunday were thrilled to spot right whales off the boardwalk of Marineland, FL on Jan 26.  Image: Sara Ellis.

Groups of volunteers started leapfrogging down the coast, following the whales to Bay Drive Park, in Palm Coast.  Jeff Greene was able to get drone photos of this mother-calf pair and FWC quickly identified the mom as #3705, Check Mark.  She is the seventh mother of the season, first sighted by FWC on Jan 17.  She is 18 years old with her 1st known calf. 

Carol Logan captured additional photos and videos via drone while others took photos from land. The whales were staying close to shore as they continued southward, so we sent out the first RoboCall of the season.  Throughout the day, many volunteers watched this pair and kept us apprised of their locations.

Check Mark & calf, off Palm Coast, FL on Jan 26.  Image: Jeff Greene, NMFS Permit #26562.

The next day, at 10:45 am, Team 3 Monday spotted a pair of whales near the horizon, north of the Flagler pier, heading south.  They were too far offshore to be reached by drone, and FWC’s plane was further north, so there was no chance of immediate identification; we guessed it was the same whales seen the day before.  

The team kept their eyes on the pair and at 1:30pm, Russ Hatfield texted to say the whales were much closer now--maybe within drone range.  Conveniently, Sara, Lorraine, and Sector 3 co-leaders John & Linda Wilson were having a snack at the Golden Lion restaurant and now could see the whales from there!  They headed to the nearest beach walkover and called in the program’s newest drone pilot, Michelle Ross, who lives close by.

As Sara flew her drone and examined the mother’s callosities, she realized it was NOT Check Mark.  She noticed odd coloration on the mother’s right flank and saw old propeller scars.  It was Caterpillar (#3503), so named for the large caterpillar-shaped scar she received from a vessel strike when she was two years old.  Caterpillar is the 4th of the seven moms spotted so far this season. She is now 20 years old and this is her 1st known calf.  

After Sara sent ID photos to FWC and sent out a RoboCall, Michelle took advantage of the calm conditions and slow-moving whales to fly her drone with Sara’s guidance.  As the watch day went on, more volunteers and members of the public got to observe these whales from shore. Drone pilots Jeff Greene and Jack Dewhurst took additional photos and video.

Caterpillar & calf, off Flagler Beach, FL on Jan 27.  Image: Jack Dewhurst, NMFS Permit #26562.

FWC’s aerial team flew down to Flagler Beach.  In addition to photo-documenting Caterpillar, they spotted Check Mark & calf, as well Black Heart & calf, 5 and 6 miles off Marineland.  Also, Julie Albert received photos from a member of the public of Nauset & her calf just north of Cape Canaveral on Jan 26.   All told, there were four mother-calf pairs spotted over these two days!  

Before the cold windy streak, the seven mother-calf pairs were being sighted fairly regularly near--or north of--the Florida/Georgia border.  After the winds abated, four of these pairs were spotted between Marineland and Cape Canaveral.  Had the calves been pushed southward by prevailing winds?  Or did the mothers travel south purposefully, in search of warmer water?  Further inquiry may help answer such questions.

Mid-Season Meeting

Our mid-season meeting is fast approaching.  It will be held Saturday, Feb 8, from 1:30 to 4:00, at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, 9505 N Ocean Shore Blvd. St. Augustine, FL 32080.  Signage by the road will help direct you to the location.  Please carpool if possible. 

The first hour will be for social time.  This will be a “light” pot-luck event.  Please bring finger food or desserts.  We will provide coffee, beverages, plates, and utensils… and door prizes. You can pick up your pre-ordered merchandise and there will be some extra items for spontaneous purchases (cash, check, or credit).  

At 2:30 we’ll move into the auditorium, and pick the lucky winners of the door prizes.  Sara will give updates on the current survey season, an overview of research & conservation technologies, and—drum roll please—an introduction to our program’s new website and sighting cards!

Join us for fun, food, and updates.

In the meantime, here’s hoping for more whale sightings in our survey area!

Sara and Jim

TWO WEEKS IN

A Promising Start

In this 25th season of surveys, our team of volunteers is more than 270 strong! Welcome aboard to new volunteers, including the community team at Cinnamon Beach in the Hammock area of Palm Coast.

On the afternoon of 3 January, 170 people gathered at University of Florida’s Whitney Lab in Marineland for our Season Opener. Before the meeting began, Kelly Fischbach of Marineland Dolphin Adventure reported two whales to the hotline. The aerial survey team of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) diverted their plane to Marineland and identified the whales as #3940, Koala, and #4190, Curlew. 

These adult females have been sighted together in southeast US waters since late November. Both are considered potential mothers, since they are old enough—16 and 14 years old, respectively—to be mothers. Neither has ever been seen with a calf, and it is unknown if either is pregnant. Some volunteers got a chance to see the whales before the meeting, while others searched on their way home.

Two days later, 5 Jan, another call came in to the hotline: two whales, off Beverly Beach, heading south. Photos taken by our new volunteer drone pilot Jeff Greene were verified by FWC to be Koala and Curlew again. Our 2025 Robocall system was not yet functional, so Sara called Team Leaders, who in turn contacted their teams. Crowds gathered along A1A as the whales slowly cruised past Flagler Beach on a sunny Sunday afternoon. 

Adult female right whales, Koala (left) and Curlew, off Flagler Beach. Koala’s callosity resembles a koala bear. Curlew has a curved scar on her back shaped like a curlew’s beak. Image: Jeff Greene, Research Permit #26562

That very same Sunday, there were public reports of a mother-calf pair further north, off South Ponte Vedra Beach. Team Leaders of Sector 1 North, Kim Jacomo & Shea Lox, responded to verify the sighting, as did FWC’s aerial team. The mother was #2430, Minus One. She is at least 31 years old and this is her fourth known calf. This pair was first sighted off Amelia Island, FL on 9 Dec, then several times offshore in the Ponte Vedra Beach area. This was the first time they were sighted so close to shore.

The head of Minus One’s calf is dwarfed by its mother’s huge pectoral fin. Image: Kim Jacomo.

Many volunteers—old and new—got to see their very first right whale on January 3rd or 5th. Over these two days, more of our volunteers saw whales than over the entire 2024 season! 

For surveyors who did not get to see whales either day, there is still good reason for hope! 

Traveling Ambassadors

Koala and Curlew have made quite an impression along Florida’s east coast, as they continued steaming south past Cape Canaveral. Between 10 and 13 January, our colleagues Julie Albert and Joel Cohen of Blue World Research Institute (BWRI) documented the pair’s presence as far south as Boynton Beach!

The travels of this dynamic duo have caught the attention of the media, who are helping spread the word about right whales and the issues they face. Articles have been published recently in the Observer (of Palm Coast and Ormond Beach) and Treasure Coast Newspapers.

   

Where will Koala and Curlew show up next? Will they continue into the Gulf of Mexico? Will either—or both—have a calf this season? Only time will tell.

Wintry Weather

The weather has been variable over the first two weeks of surveys. After several calm and warm days, things turned windy and wintry. Some days, surveyors bundled up and carried on. On others, cold weather advisories and freeze warnings prompted full cancellations. If anyone out there has a connection with the weather gods, please put in a good word for us! 

Members of Sector 1 South’s Sunday Funday Team modeling necessities on chilly survey days: warm clothes and donuts!  Image: Liz Hanahan.

Mark your calendars

On Thursday, 30 Jan, 1:00-2:30pm, Terran McGinnis of Marineland Dolphin Adventure will give a right whale presentation at the Education Center of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, 505 Guana River Rd, Ponte Vedra Beach. If you have a chance to attend—or visit GTM another day—check out the center’s huge models of a mother-calf pair of right whales.

Other keys dates ahead: 

• Saturday 8 Feb, 1:30-4:00pm: Mid-season meeting with potluck.
• Saturday 8 Mar: Formal surveys end.
• Saturday 15 Mar: Closing meeting, with potluck and “world famous” raffle. (Donations of raffle items are welcome. Please contact Sara to discuss.)

In the meantime, here’s hoping for light winds and heavy whales! 

THE 2025 SEASON BEGINS!

Kick-Off Meeting

The Marineland Right Whale Project has entered its 25th season!  Surveys began on Saturday, January 4 and run through Saturday, March 8.

The Season Opening Meeting and Orientation took place on Friday, January 3 at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in Marineland.  Old and new volunteers had a chance to meet each other and their Team Leaders, and hear updates on right whales, 2025 program plans, and survey protocols. 

Whales to Date

As of December 16, seven right whales have been reported in southeast U.S. waters.  These include mother #2413, Nauset, 31 years old, with her 5th calf, and #2430, Minus One, at least 31 years old, with her 4th calf.  Several potential mothers have been sighted, as well as a four-year-old male, #5132.  

 

A Cost-savings Change

A reality check.  Money is often an issue for small environmental and conservation groups such as ours.  For the 2023 and 2024 seasons, we experienced a deficit.  To rectify this situation, we have incorporated a cost-savings measure for the coming season.  Sara will manage the program in Florida; Jim will take care of administrative tasks from his home in Massachusetts.  The savings will offset the deficit.  We hope to return to normal in future years.

 

Education and Outreach

This fall, we participated in several events to educate the public about right whales and our surveys, sign up new volunteers, and raise program support.

 

The annual Right Whale Festival was held in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, 2-3 November.  Kim Jacomo and Shea Lox set up and manned our exhibit, with help from Jean Cardany and Sue Delegal.  Anne Sheridan and Heike Hudes made a wonderful quilt for a successful fundraising raffle.

Closer to home, more than 20 volunteers took shifts at our right whale table at the Marineland Market on 2 November and 7 December.   

 

Thank you all for keeping our education and outreach efforts strong.

 

2024 Report and Team Handbook Posted

Each year we prepare a summary report for the preceding season.  This provides volunteers, colleagues, and collaborators an overview of the season.  The 2024 report is posted at www.aswh.org.  On the homepage, find “MRWP Right Whale Report 2024”, in the menu on the left. 

 

There is also an updated version of the Team Handbook (also in the menu on the left).  A hard copy will be provided in each team survey bag, and anyone can download a personal copy from our website.

 

On the Alert

Both mother-calf pairs have been sighted off Amelia Island.  They have come into Florida waters.  When beach walking or on the deck of your condo or local restaurants, have your binoculars and the HOTLINE phone number (888-979-4253) handy.  We will organize a response.  Good luck to us, and to the whales !

2024 End of Season Wrap-up

Thank You

First and foremost:  Thank you to our dedicated and capable volunteers. The folks who stood watches in weather both good and bad, who provided handouts and information to people they met, who staffed our display and information table at the Gamble Rogers State Park and Marineland Market events, and who helped with clearing our office and storing our gear. We are most grateful.

End-of-Season Meeting

Our wrap up meeting for the 2024 season was held on Saturday, 16 March. 100 attended. Great food and good conversations. The raffle had vigorous ticket sales and raised money for the program.

A handmade pine straw basket with a ceramic base was a wonderful item, 

and drew lots of interest, and tickets!  (Photo: B. Gough)

One of the highlights of the program was Sara’s compilation of volunteer photos, 2024 Volunteers. This can be seen on our YouTube channel, Marineland Right Whale Project. Many of our other videos are also found there.

Also at the final meeting was the summary of our results for the season. These results are posted in the form of a report. To access a copy, go to www.aswh.org, and select MRWP right whale report 2024 from the list to the left on the home page.  

Right Whale News

As another information source for right whales, you can download the newsletter, Right Whale News, from www.narwc.org. See the menu bar across the top of the home page. The next issue is expected in May 2024.

Fundraising

Program support comes from several sources, including government and foundations. An essential component comes from private donations. (Think of pieces of a pie.) We issue requests at our season-end meetings and at other team events. To date, we have raised about 60% (~$2500) of our private donation goal. We are looking to raise an additional $2000 (please and thank you). For the post-season mail, please send to Jim at ASWH, PO Box 721, Woods Hole, MA 02543). Thank you in advance for helping to keep the program viable, as we look to the 2025 season.

Book Recommendation

For perspective and encouragement, may we suggest:

Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams.  2021.  The Book of Hope: A Survival  Guide for Trying Times.  Celadon Books, Macmillan, N Y, NY.  249 pp.

Thank You Again

Circling back to where we began - a huge thank you to everyone for volunteering your labor, enthusiasm, ideas, and financial support?from us and from the whales.

 

As We Near the End of Our Season...

 Mark your calendars

Saturday, 9 March, will be the final survey day for this MRWP season.

Our season wrap-up meeting will be on Saturday, 16 March, from 12:30 to 2:30 PM in the auditorium at the University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory in Marineland. Please bring modest portions of finger food and dessert items. We will provide utensils, cups, plates, napkins, and ice; along with, coffee and cold beverages. There will be gear sales, a raffle, and presentations. Come and share stories, photos, good friends, and good food.

Whales over the Horizon

Consistent with our most recent E-News (16 February), the ocean waters in the Marineland Section have been whale-less. This includes some glorious days with flat seas and light winds, and no whales. There is some good news: 19 calves have been born to date, which is the highest number in recent years.

The whales that are still being reported are to the north of us, off Amelia, Cumberland, and St. Simons islands. As of the 27th, Female #1612, Juno, with her 8th calf; and #2791, Fenway, with her 4th calf, were 8 miles off, just east of Brunswick, Georgia. These females are successfully adding to the population. As to the injured calf of Juno, the Georgia Division of Natural Resources Team deployed a boat and conducted an evaluation on the 27th. We await their report.

If you are curious about where right whales are being sighted along the East Coast, have a look at WhaleMap.org. The basic map shows sightings during the past two weeks; the Interactive Map allows you to explore other days or time periods.

Blank Spaces on the Chart

Due to the paucity of sightings this year in our survey area, particularly south of St. Augustine, a chart of sightings for the 2024 season will have many blank spaces. When there are zero sightings, what does that mean ? There are two kinds of zero: sampling zeros, and data zeros. A sampling zero says that there were no whales because no one was looking. A data zero says that people were looking but there were no whales. Yes, many of our days contained data zeros. This is O.K. as it directly contributes to the long-term data set. We will address this point at our meeting on the 16th.

O.K. one more week to go! Will there be one or more sighting surprises in March? Yahoo!

Trish Baker serves up slices of a pecan ring as sustenance to hard-working members of Team 5-S on 24 February 2024. Lillian Crowningshield checks that slices are uniform. (The finger in the frame is Jim’s.)

MID-SEASON SUMMARY

This installment of the Marineland Right Whale Program’s E-News contains good and bad; happy and sad.  Please read on.

Meeting Success

On Saturday, 10 February, 124 of us gathered in the auditorium at the University of Florida’s Whitney Lab in Marineland. We started with long tables of an excellent pot luck finger-food and desserts array in the atrium. Lots of chit-chat and meeting volunteers from other teams.  Whale gear (caps, T-shirts, hoodies, and jewelry) was available for our volunteers.

Photos from our mid-season event on 10 February. 

(Photos: B. Gough)

We next migrated into the auditorium for door prizes and an excellent talk by Sara about right whale sightings and the associated analyses. Next, we showed a recent version of “Last of the Right Whales.” (There were a few tears.) This was followed by a video vignette describing the music score underlying the main documentary. Finally, Sara led us in singing the project’s new theme song, “Take Me Out To The Survey.”

A good day, good people, good energy.

Whales

Whales, or, absence of whales. Well then, this (so far) has not been one of our big seasons. The handful of whales has been elusive, providing fleeting glimpses before disappearing. The elusivity, combined with poor weather, has kept the drone grounded. On 16 January, Surf Club reported a mother-calf, on 24 January we had a sighting of a yearling (a calf in 2023), and on 4 February, there was a mother-calf off the St. Augustine pier. On 10 February, Catalog #1620, Juno, and her injured calf appeared north of Ponce Inlet.

The injured calf of #1612, Juno, from 3 January 2024, Edisto, SC. 
(Photo: Forever Hooked Charters.)

For the entire southeastern U.S., 17 mother-calf pairs have been reported, along with about 43 individuals in other categories. Most sightings have been to the north of us. As Frank Schafer Jr. wrote, “Where they are, I am not.” As of 15 February, several mother-calf pairs were still off Amelia and Cumberland islands. Might any of these come our way?

Next, some sad news. On Saturday, 3 February, a female dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) came ashore at Butler Beach. It was taken to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s laboratory in Jacksonville for a necropsy.

Further, during the 2023 season, female #4340, Pilgrim, and her first calf were frequently sighted by our colleagues (Blue World Research Institute) to the south. A year passed. On 3 February 2024, the calf, now a yearling, was photographed off Melbourne from a drone by Joel Cohen of the BWRI. Ten days later, its carcass was reported 20 miles off Tybee Island, GA. It was towed in, and a necropsy performed on the 15th.

Additionally, in New England, the carcass of a 3-year-old, female right whale washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard, MA, on 28 January. The cause of death is still pending an examination, but the whale has rope deeply embedded in the tissue around the base of its fluke which is an indication of chronic entanglement. 

Our Task

When the weather is good, the survey planes are flying, and the full complement of volunteers is on duty, there are many days with a whale-less ocean. Not to be dismayed, distressed, depressed, or disappointed. Our job is to cover our section. And, there is always the chance for a sighting surprise (it has happened before). We will continue strong through Saturday, 9 March, our last survey day for this season. Informal lookouts can continue through the end of the month.