#1: Right Whale Researchers In the Field Soon!

Our 35th field season in the Bay of Fundy will get underway next week and extend until the end of September. As you can imagine, it is a busy time as we are getting field supplies all pulled together- cameras, computers, satellite phones, data forms, and various other items. We've also spent the past couple of months securing research permits, sorting out our field team personnel and coordinating with other field teams who will be joining us.

The Nereid crew, working mom #3513 and her calf as they swam unusually close to shore. 

Photo: Moira Brown, Canadian Whale Institute. 

In addition to our Bay of Fundy surveys conducted on our 29 foot vessel Nereid, the Aquarium is collaborating with Canadian Whale Institute and will be conducting two offshore surveys on Roseway Basin, south of Nova Scotia. Each of these surveys will be two weeks long, and conducted on the 46 foot R/V Shelagh with a team of six persons who will live aboard the boat.

Observing right whales aboard the Shelagh during our first offshore trip last season. 

Photo: Marianna Hagbloom, New England Aquarium

Joining us in the Bay this season will be another Aquarium team who will be collecting right whale respiration samples from the R/V Callisto, as well as a team from NOAA and Syracuse University who will be collecting acoustic recordings from mother/calf pairs off the R/V Selkie.

Now we are keeping our fingers crossed that the right whales show up this year! There have already been a few sightings reported by the local whale watch boats, so hopefully this bodes well for a stronger right whale presence than last season!

Stay tuned for the latest updates via our Facebook Group Page, and our Twitter @rightwhalescoop.

-Amy