11/14/11

Large Whale and Turtle Surveys for Wind Energy Development Planning in offshore Massachusetts

There is an increasing need to harvest alternative energy, and offshore wind is a valuable potential resource. A prerequisite for development is to determine appropriate sites where the impact to natural habitats would be minimal. Prospective sites may be in outer continental shelf waters, where there has been limited or no research performed in the past due to difficulties in reaching these distant locations as well as associated high costs.
In late 2010 the Department of Interior's Bureau of Offshore Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) issued a Request for Interest (RFI) for commercial wind energy development in outer continental shelf waters off Massachusetts. The area south of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard was originally 3,000 square miles, but was reduced to about half that size in response to the Commonwealth's recommendations representing the fishing industry. Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) in partnership with the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to perform surveys in the RFI area. The 18-month contract was awarded to the New England Aquarium for marine resource characterization surveys of sea turtles, right whales and other large whales. MassCEC requires a year's worth of seasonal migratory data to inform the federal leasing process.

Map of the survey area. Eight north/south transect lines are flown within this area, with 7 nm separation. (Cartography: Brooke Wikgren, NEAq)

The Aquarium collaborated with other prestigious New England research groups in order to fulfill survey objectives, forming the Northeast Large Pelagics Survey Collaborative (NLPSC). University of Rhode Island, current curators of the right whale sightings database, will be involved in data collection methodology, density and distribution analyses and data quality control. Two experienced aerial observers / photographers on each survey flight are from Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) and the Aquarium. The two pilots from ASSIST-U.S. also have a background in aerial surveillance. The goal is to perform two aerial surveys per month with additional surveys in response to biological hotspots or areas of particular interest. The Bioacoustic Research Program (BRP) at Cornell University deployed six BRP-developed Marine Autonomous Recording Units (called "pop-ups") in a configuration to detect whales within and around the survey area. Automated data recognition and expert human validation detect vocalizations of blue, fin, right, humpback and minke whales. All five species are known to occur near the survey area and are readily identifiable by their species-specific vocalizations.




Crew left to right: Bob Lynch, PCCS; Jessica Taylor, NEAq; Richard Jackson and Scott Patten, ASSIST-U.S. (Photo: Dick Pierce, BroadOakStudios.com)

The survey aircraft is a Cessna O-2A, the military version of the C-337 (see image). Two observers in the rear seats scan for large whales, while the automated digital SLR camera mounted over optical glass in the belly port of the plane collects vertical photographic data at 5-second intervals for turtles on the tracklines. Aerial Imaging Solutions (AIS) developed and customized the camera mount system and data logging program. It enables us to acquire high quality images that compensate for the plane's forward motion, while we remotely operate the camera from our laptop. Each georeferenced image also has details of associated flight parameters such as altitude and speed.

Survey Aircraft, N9134Q (Photo: Jessica Taylor, NEAq)

Through the Aquarium's involvement in this project, we have developed a skilled aerial survey team with cutting edge technology to obtain high quality, reliable data. Consistent aerial surveys to retrieve valuable environmental data where historical survey data has been spatially and temporally inconsistent will help advancements towards assessing seasonal migration and habitat use in this region. We are proud to be an integral part of this collaborative effort in the contribution to informed decisions for offshore renewable energy development.

-Jessica
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10/14/11

#23: BOF 2011 By the Numbers

2 months
18 team members
1 house
3 survey boats
19 survey days
30 pounds of coffee
8 right whale poop samples
9 right whale biopsy skin/blubber samples
55 right whale blow samples
859 minutes of right whale mom/calf pair acoustic recordings and behavioral observations collected
15 unique 2011 calves sighted
120 unique individual right whales sighted (low estimate, data still being processed)
600 sightings added to the Catalog (low estimate, data still being processed)



A lobtailing right whale on our last day on the water.
Photo: Kelsey Howe
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10/8/11

#22: Two Entanglements in Two Days!

On September 26th, the right whale crew headed out on the Bay of Fundy for what we thought would be our last survey of the season. Our usual survey destination in the Grand Manan Basin yielded only a couple of right whales and three sperm whales. After many hours, we decided to head to the Wolves (a small cluster of islands east of Campobello Island, N.B), since fellow researcher Moe Brown had been there earlier in the day and had found about two dozen right whales. By the time we arrived at the Wolves, it was late in the afternoon and we were losing daylight fast. The area around the Wolves was thick with right whales, so we set to work and attempted to document the individuals in the area. We headed home as the light began to fade and the seas began to get a bit too bumpy for working.

When we arrived back at the dock, Moe notified us that upon reviewing her images of right whales from the day, she detected one that was entangled (Catalog # 3302, an 8 year old male). The entangling line was difficult to see because of the dark color of the line against the whale's black body. The team quickly went to work making logistical arrangements for the next day. "How many people do we have and how many boats can we get on the water?" We know from past experience that finding a single, specific whale in the Bay of Fundy is the proverbial needle in a haystack.

With not much sleep, the team headed out at first light the next morning. Joining the search were two vessels from Campobello Island, captained by Mackie Greene from the Campobello Whale Rescue Team (CWRT) and Jerry Conway from the CWRT and the Canadian Whale Institute, plus the NEAq team on the R/V Nereid. A private boat with Chris Slay of Coastwise Consulting and friends onboard offered to help the effort! In total, we were four boats and 15 people. We also alerted the local whale watch boats and asked them to keep a sharp lookout for the entangled whale. After many hours of looking at the numerous right whales east and south of the Wolves Islands with no luck, the Nereid crew ventured south and east to the Grand Manan Basin to see if the animal may have moved there.

Around noon, the crew of the Nereid hailed the two rescue boats with a position- the Nereid had NOT found #3302, but instead had found a second entangled whale, #3111 (a 10 year old male)! The rescue boats arrived on scene and Mackie and Chris, both highly qualified disentanglement experts, quickly began assembling their equipment in the smaller of the two rescue boats. It should be noted that Mackie and Chris use special tools designed for this specific purpose and have been extensively trained for disentanglement. In addition, Mackie has received special authorization from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to lead this type of operation. The work is dangerous, so the appropriate safety gear was donned. Amy Knowlton gave a quick debrief of the type of entanglement and the body parts involved. I hopped aboard to document the event, and just like that, the whale surfaced and we were underway.



#3111, showing signs of rope abrasion on the head and behind the post-blowholes (he also has some mud on his head). Photo: NEAq/CWRT



The peduncle wound, caused by several lines.
Photo: NEAq/CWRT

Over the next couple of hours, the whale was approached by the rescue crew each time it surfaced, and various, proven disentanglement techniques were used. On one approach, Mackie managed to get a knife tool into the bundle of four lines coming from the whales left flipper. At this point it appeared that something shifted and changed with the entanglement. Upon the next surfacing, the lines that had crossed the whale's peduncle had moved, and for the rest of the afternoon, we did not see the lines over the peduncle again. It is unclear if the lines were cut or the entanglement shifted in some way. We do not know if any line remains on the left flipper or perhaps even in the left side of the mouth, but we are hopeful that over time the gear might be shed. What we do know for sure is that because of the extensive effort of four boats and 15 people, this whale has a much better chance of survival.



The disentanglement team works to cut the lines off the whale.
Photo: NEAq/CWRT


Now, we wait and anticipate the next sighting of this whale. We and our colleagues will also be keeping a watchful eye out for #3302, the entangled whale that unfortunately was not found again.

Posted by Monica at 11:26 AM 1 comments
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9/30/11

#21: New 2011 Mom Sighted!

On September 26, one of our teams had a very exciting sighting: a new mom and calf pair for the year!

Legato and her calf on September 26! Photo: Moira Brown

Sighted to the north close to a cluster of islands called "The Wolves," the team observed an adult with a calf, spending time at the surface close to each other, coordinating dives and making body contact. The pair wasn't one that we recognized, so back in the office that night we looked at the photos and identified the adult as Legato (Catalog #1802). However, we were hesitant to jump to conclusions that this adult was the mother of the calf; it's a little bit unusual to have a mother and calf appear in the Bay of Fundy that weren't seen by aerial survey teams covering the East Coast or the Southeast (SEUS) calving grounds. Plus, this was our only sighting of them, so perhaps they were just sighted together by chance. Legato was born in 1998 and has had three calves, all birthed in the SEUS. She may have birthed this calf in a different location, but with the bad weather in the south this winter, it is possible that the pair was missed during surveys.

On September 28, the whale watch company Quoddy Link Marine photographed the pair together, behaving like a typical mother and calf. So this is indeed a new mom and calf for the year, and we are delighted to welcome the 22nd calf of 2011 into the population!


Mom and calf, being playful. Photo: Moira Brown

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9/28/11

#20: Thinking Conservation On and Off the Water

As a guest to the right whale field house in Lubec, I have a unique perspective from which to view typical field operations for the New England Aquarium's right whale research team. The team exhibits habits that are so rote as to be unnoticeable, but as a newcomer, I've developed a great respect for the assiduous manner with which all the individuals in the house attempt to live their lives aligned close as possible with their conservationist principles. Immediately upon my arrival here I was impressed with the thoughtful effort that goes into recycling, reusing, composting, and consuming energy (from the grid and from the farm) sustainably. Everyone here goes the extra mile, no matter how exhausted by a day on the water or inundated with a day of data analysis, to not only talk the talk of environmental responsibility but also to walk the walk.

First, let me touch on the thorough recycling regime for the house that Amy spearheads. We recycle everything that can reasonably be recycled--bottles, cans, plastics, paper, cardboard, corks, batteries, light bulbs, metals--and Amy goes so far as to take the things that cannot be recycled in Lubec back to Boston with her to be recycled where there are greater resources. Amy has also thought of the challenges of recycling, realizing it gets done less if it's not convenient, so she's put recycling bins in the bathrooms and near the showers (for toilet paper rolls, paper towels, and shampoo containers, among other things) and close to any work spaces to ensure almost nothing that can be recycled falls into the waste basket.


When we're done reusing it, we recycle it!

Secondly, we reuse whatever we can. Lots of the plastics that might get thrown away (for example, hummus or yogurt containers) are great as reusable leftover containers--it's like getting free tupperware with your store-bought food! Many of our drinking glasses are old jars, and most of us in the house use water bottles and coffee tumblers that are refillable for years and years. Also, one of my favorite aspects of the field house is that upon our arrival everyone who so desired could claim a cloth dinner napkin to use for the season. The napkins hang on personalized clothespins in the kitchen and can be grabbed whenever someone is sitting down to eat, then washed with any load of laundry, majorly saving on paper towels.


The Whale House napkin line.

Thirdly, we keep a compost heap in the backyard and a compost bucket in the kitchen. Any uneaten food (of which there is very little in general), egg shells, coffee grounds, banana peels, etc. gets put into compost to eventually return to the ecosystem. Our paper towels are compostable, too, so they don't end up in the dump.




Where our uneaten foodstuffs feed the earth.

Lastly, everybody tries to consume in a sustainable fashion, thinking about how long we're spending in the shower, turning off lights when a room is empty, using efficient machinery, unplugging battery chargers when they're not in use, drying our clothes naturally outdoors, and buying organic, locally farmed and fished food when possible (we've been a member of the Tide Mill CSA for years!).


Line drying clothes.

Environmental responsibility is a challenge, and the project isn't necessarily a paragon of going green--to study whales we still need big trucks to tow boats and gasoline to run them both, lots of electronics, and if we washed ourselves and our gear any less than we do now we'd probably be kicked out of Lubec. But, undaunted by those deficiencies, my co-workers are being actively conscientious and creative in their attempts to lessen the project's impact on the environment, and it's a subtle heroism that I deeply admire.


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