I traveled from Boston to Portsmouth today, and then took the 4:00 boat to Shoals. 2 [dead, frozen] seals rode with us, and one will be dissected in my class. We had a faculty meeting and a course meeting, and then a lovely sunset. Getting ready for students to arrive tomorrow afternoon!
A beluga whale was spotted in Fall River, MA, a very unusual sighting for this Arctic species!
Photo credits: IFAW & National Park Service
So many books, so little time…
Christin Khan, at NOAA Fisheries in Woods Hole, keeps a great blog where she posts photos and aerial survey reports. Check out her fantastic photos from a recent flight in the Great South Channel (Gulf of Maine). Besides right and sei whales, who are feeding on plankton, they also saw almost 100 basking sharks. The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is definitely open!
Photo credits: NOAA/NEFSC/Christin Khan. Images collected under MMPA Research Permit Number 17355
Sei whale mom & calf.
Right whale calf, with mom below.
Sei whales feeding.
Right whale feeding.
This interactive Google Map (from colleagues at NOAA Fisheries) will give you sightings from recent aerial, shipboard, and acoustic surveys for right whales. I found it useful this past spring when planning trips to Provincetown to see whales from the beach.
Kurson provides one of the best narratives about SCUBA diving, and high risk shipwreck exploration, that I’ve ever come across. I love his description of navigating a wreck:
“A diver who enters a wreck…must conceive of space differently than he does on land…He must remember everything – every twist, turn, rise, and fall – and he must do so in an environment of few obvious landmarks and where most everything is sweatered in sea anemones.
Salt, a North Atlantic humpback whale, has been tracked by the Center for Coastal Studies (Provincetown, MA) since 1970s. She became a great grandmother this year.
Whale SENSE is a voluntary education and recognition program offered to commercial whale watching companies in the U.S. Atlantic and Alaska Regions. The program is sponsored by NOAA Fisheries, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Developed in collaboration with the whale watching industry, Whale SENSE recognizes whale watching companies committed to responsible practices. Visit whalesense.org to find responsible whale watch operators in your area.
Nadine Stewart J Lysiak 