First Right Whale Report in Jacksonville

Last Friday, a Navy vessel reported six right whales very near the mouth of the St. Johns River. Following up, we learned that no photos were taken to verify the sighting and no other sightings have been reported in the area. Yesterday, staff at Marineland Dolphin Adventure spotted a whale close to shore that definitely had a dorsal fin, possibly a humpback.

So, while the sightings and species have not been verified, we could be seeing the start of whales arriving to our coastline. We have readied our response bags and cameras just in case. Time to dust off those binoculars and turn your eyeballs toward the ocean whenever you are at the beach! Call the Right Whale Hotline 1-888-97-WHALE (1-888-979-4253) if you spot one.

2013-14 Season Schedule

The recent cooler temperatures are inspiring us to get ready for the whales! Season #14 will arrive soon and we have our schedule in place. See below.

The summer was an unusual one for Northern right whales. They were largely absent from their normal summer feeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy. To learn more, see the New England Aquarium’s research blog at http://rightwhales.neaq.org/. Joy spent August and half of September with the NEAq team in Lubec, ME, surveying for right whales in the Bay of Fundy, and wrote one of the blog entries.

In December, we will offer Introductory Talks in Ormond Beach, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and St. Augustine Beach. The Training Class is scheduled the day before surveys begin and will focus on the training of surveyors. If you plan to join the dedicated surveys, please do your best to attend to have the latest information on data collection and our plans for the season.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE 2013-14 SEASON

Right Whale Introductory Talks for new volunteers, surveyors and spotters alike, and anyone wanting to know how to spot right whales. If you are a returning volunteer and would like a refresher, by all means join us. (Encourage friends and neighbors to attend!):

Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013

1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Flagler County Public Library

2500 Palm Coast Parkway, NW

Palm Coast

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013

10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Ormond Beach Public Library

30 S. Beach St.

Ormond Beach

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013

3:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Anastasia Island Branch

St. Johns County Public Library

124 Sea Grove Main St.,

St. Augustine Beach

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013

6:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Ocean Books & Art

200 S. Oceanshore Blvd.

Flagler Beach

«« Survey Training Class for ALL SURVEY volunteers, new and returning, who are planning to participate in the dedicated survey effort:

Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014

2:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Center for Marine Studies, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience

9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., Marineland

Surveys Start:

Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014

Surveys End:

Saturday, March 15, 2014

celebrating the return of Right Whales to our waters

The 5^th Annual Right Whale Festival will be held on Saturday, 23 November, 2013 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Sea Walk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The festival includes a beach clean-up, live music, kids’ activities, arts & crafts, exhibits, including Marine Resources Council and Marineland Right Whale Project, a silent auction and a beach run. Please visit www.rightwhalefestival.org for more information.