Kleenex's grand calf

August 14 we were able to find possibly three mothers and calves, although one may have been a yearling with an unrelated adult.  Sometimes the relationships are temporary and may resemble mother and calf pairs, particularly of yearlings that still retain the calf head shape. 

One of the mothers was #2642, Kleenex's (#1142) daughter born in 1996.  She had been tentatively also been seen in late June off Nova Scotia and the New England Aquarium research team had seen the calf but not with #2642 so it was great to put the two together.  Mothers are often off feeding for a couple of hours leaving their calves at the surface where they rest or entertain themselves by playing with seaweed or splashing at the surface (tail lobbing, flipper slapping, breaching).  The two reunite by calling underwater.

2010 calf of right whale mother #2642 on its side with flipper in the air.  The chin callosities and eyebrow callosities are visible and the big curve of the lower lip.

Also in the same area was the right whale mother #2710, daughter of Stumpy (#1004) with her calf.   We had seen this pair earlier in August. 

The left side of the 2010 calf of right whale mother #2710.  Documenting both sides of the calf are critical for future identification.

Right whale numbers in the Bay of Fundy remain low, however other species of whales including humpbacks, fins, minkes are abundant.  We have photographed more humpback whales this year than any other year.  We have also been incredibly lucky to have found sperm whales on five different days.  Sperm whales are rarely seen in the Bay of Fundy and there are at least four with possibly more.  They are identifiable by their tail flukes and so far, four different flukes have been documented.

Kleenex's daughter and grand-calf

Working with advice on right whales positions from the New England Aquarium research team, we headed out to the Grand Manan Basin in the afternoon on August 11.  We found two mother calf pairs, #3142, the 2001 calf of Kleenex, and #2710, the daughter of Stumpy.  #3142 calf is Kleenex's seventh grand-calf.  Her other daughter who is also a mother this year, #2642 was seen in June off the coast of Nova Scotia with her calf.

Calf of Right Whale #2710

To make the day even more special, we spotted a sperm whale, a rare sighting for the Bay of Fundy, near the location of the right whale mother and calves.

Sperm whale logging or napping at the surface

2645 and calf sighting

Insignia's 2010 calf
Insignia

Insignia #2645 and her calf were seen August 7. Insignia was born in 1996 to Slalom (#1245). Slalom is the 1982 calf of Wart #1140.

It was wonderful to see this new member to Wart's family. This is Insignia's third calf and the only granddaughter of Wart to have calves so far. Wart has had eight calves, the last one in 2008.

Right Whale Calf Found Dead

On July 2 a right whale calf was found dead 23 nautical miles from Southern Head, Grand Manan. Allied Whale from the College of the Atlantic photographed and took some samples but the badly decomposed calf was not recovered. The carcass had propeller cuts but without a full necropsy it is not known if this was pre- or post-mortem. It is also not known at this time whose calf this is but everyone will be keeping a lookout for a mother without a calf.

Not many right whales have been seen yet in the Bay of Fundy. The New England Aquarium team will begin surveys August 3 or so depending on weather and a better picture of where and how many right whales are in the Bay will be available.

Right Whales in the Bay of Fundy

Possible photos of #2642 and her second calf taken by June Swift, Brier Island, Nova Scotia. Identification is tentative.

Fog was been a constant in July as it often is with the land warming up quickly and the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy remaining cool. The hot, humid air mass creates dense fog when it moves out over cold water. As a result we haven't been able to survey for right whales in the Grand Manan Basin, concentrating on an area closer to Grand Manan where humpback, fin and minke whales have been found.

However, there have been some sightings of right whales along the Nova Scotia coast from the Brier Island and area whale watch companies. At least two mothers and their calves have been seen with tentative identifications of the mothers as #2642, the daughter of Kleenex and #2605, Smoke, daughter of #1705, Phoenix. Both whales have had one previous calf. The first mother calf pair were seen on June 20 and the second on June 22. The second pair were seen from shore but June Swift. Check out her blog postings at http://brierisland.blogspot.com/ or the blog for Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises http://brierislandwhales.blogspot.com/

Right Whales in the Bay of Fundy - May sightings

I received a report of 5-6 right whales on May 17 from the Grand Manan Fishermen's Association Whale Hotline. The whales were seen south of the island by a lobster fishermen. The Whale Hotline was established after a large number of right whales lingered in the Bay north of Grand Manan in 2006. The information goes out to fishermen so they can be alerted to the presence of right whales in areas where they may be fishing. They are asked to voluntarily avoid the area where the right whales are or to avoid hauling or setting gear in that area until the whales move on. They are also encouraged to report any entangled whales and a disentanglement team may be able to respond, depending on weather conditions.

May is a bit early for right whale sightings in the Bay of Fundy but not unheard of. It does mean that lobster fishermen have to be more diligent in watching for right whales to avoid entangling them. There has been a lot of work in this regard and things like the Whale Hotline, a voluntary Code of Conduct, articles in fishing newsletters, and presentations on disentangling whales help with this.

Great South Channel Area to Be Avoided

Following the success of the implementation of a seasonal voluntary Area to Be Avoided (ATBA) over right whale habitat on Roseway Basin from June 1 through December 31, south of the southern tip of Nova Scotia, a new Area to Be Avoided has been established around the Great South Channel/Georges Bank right whale habitat from April 1 through July 31. This area is east of Cape Cod and is of great importance to right whales, including many who are never seen in the Bay of Fundy. The Northeast US Right Whale Sighting Advisory System shows the location of this newest ATBA http://rwhalesightings.nefsc.noaa.gov/

By having large vessels voluntarily avoid these areas where right whales are known to congregate, the risk of the whales being hit by a large vessels decreases significantly. Vessel strikes are the leading cause of accidental death in right whales.