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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0028_01C8F6E6.4F88DE60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable As many of you may know the right whale calving period in the winter is = well monitored along the eastern seaboard, primary from Florida to North = Carolina. The right whale population remains critically endangered and = only a handful of calves are born each year. There are some right = whales mothers who are missed and additional calving mothers can be = added in the spring from field research in Cape Cod Bay and the Great = South Channel. =20 The Bay of Fundy summer/fall season usually doesn't pick up any other = mothers but is an important time to photo-document the known calves who = may now be 6-9m (20-30 feet) depending on when they were born (as early = as December). I always have a mini-catalogue with me while working on a = whale watch boat, to identify the mothers and then attempt to photograph = all aspects of the calves, the most important of which is the head where = distinctive callosity patterns have been grown. These callosity = patterns are unique to each individual whale and can allow = identification throughout the whale's life. The photos are submitted to = the New England Aquarium research team who are based in Lubec, ME, = during the summer. The weather has been particularly foggy this summer and we didn't have a = chance to venture into the Grand Manan Basin to see if any right whales = were around. This is where most right whales will occur during the = summer to feed on dense patches of zooplankton, dominated by copepods. = We began hearing about a few reports from fishermen and whale watchers = from Nova Scotia of right whales being seen and were able to go out on = July 28 to a location where our research boat had seen two right whales = in the morning. =20 We immediately found right whales, including a mother and calf pair. = Although I had my catalogue with me, the mother's callosity patterns did = not match any of these. We saw this mother/calf pair again on July 30. = I sent my photos to Philip Hamilton of the New England Aquarium and on = July 31 received an exciting email that although this mother had been = seen in the SE U.S. in the winter, she was not seen with a calf and I = had been able to add calf number 21 to this calving season! Since 2001, = the number of calves born each winter has been well above the previous = average of just over 11. This is good news for right whales and the = population is now estimated to be about 400 individuals. We have seen four different mothers and calves so far and an additional = calf whose mother still needs to be identified. Calves are sometimes = separated from their mothers for short periods while the mother feeds. = Also of interest is that one of the mothers is Catspaw who recently made = the news because in 2005 she was the first right whale seen giving = birth. She had another calf this spring and has brought this calf into = the Bay. =20 It is stories like these that are rewarding for those of us who spend = our summers on the water watching whales and it is not just right whale = calves that are photographed. Humpback and finback whale calves are = also added to catalogues each summer.=20 The New England Aquarium crew should be getting out today to begin their = season. Fog, thunderstorms and rain have kept them on shore so far. = They have a blog this year and you can follow their field season at the = following link: = http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/blogs_webcams_videos_and_mor= e/blogs/bay_of_fundy/index.php Cheers, Laurie Murison Grand Manan Whale & Seabird Research Station=20 24 Route 776 Grand Manan, NB Canada E5G 1A1 506 662 3804, Fax 506 662 9804 http://www.gmwsrs.org ------=_NextPart_000_0028_01C8F6E6.4F88DE60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16674" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>As many of you may know the right whale = calving=20 period in the winter is well monitored along the eastern seaboard, = primary from=20 Florida to North Carolina. The right whale population remains = critically=20 endangered and only a handful of calves are born each year. There = are some=20 right whales mothers who are missed and additional calving mothers can = be=20 added in the spring from field research in Cape Cod Bay = and the=20 Great South Channel. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The Bay of Fundy summer/fall season = usually doesn't=20 pick up any other mothers but is an important time to photo-document the = known=20 calves who may now be 6-9m (20-30 feet) depending on when they were born = (as=20 early as December). I always have a mini-catalogue with me while = working=20 on a whale watch boat, to identify the mothers and then attempt to = photograph=20 all aspects of the calves, the most important of which is the head where = distinctive callosity patterns have been grown. These callosity = patterns=20 are unique to each individual whale and can allow identification = throughout the=20 whale's life. The photos are submitted to the New England Aquarium = research team who are based in Lubec, ME, during the = summer.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The weather has been particularly foggy = this summer=20 and we didn't have a chance to venture into the Grand Manan Basin = to see if=20 any right whales were around. This is where most right whales will = occur=20 during the summer to feed on dense patches of zooplankton, dominated by=20 copepods. We began hearing about a few reports from fishermen and = whale=20 watchers from Nova Scotia of right whales being seen and were = able to=20 go out on July 28 to a location where our research boat had seen two = right=20 whales in the morning. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We immediately found right whales, = including a=20 mother and calf pair. Although I had my catalogue with me, the = mother's=20 callosity patterns did not match any of these. We saw this = mother/calf=20 pair again on July 30. I sent my photos to Philip Hamilton of the = New=20 England Aquarium and on July 31 received an exciting email = that although=20 this mother had been seen in the SE U.S. in the winter, she = was not=20 seen with a calf and I had been able to add calf number 21 to this = calving=20 season! Since 2001, the number of calves born each winter has been = well=20 above the previous average of just over 11. This is good news for = right=20 whales and the population is now estimated to be about 400=20 individuals.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We have seen four different mothers and = calves so=20 far and an additional calf whose mother still needs to be = identified. =20 Calves are sometimes separated from their mothers for short periods = while the=20 mother feeds. Also of interest is that one of the mothers is = Catspaw who=20 recently made the news because in 2005 she was the first right whale = seen giving=20 birth. She had another calf this spring and has brought this = calf=20 into the Bay. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT><FONT face=3DArial = size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It is stories like these that are = rewarding for=20 those of us who spend our summers on the water watching whales and it is = not=20 just right whale calves that are photographed. Humpback and = finback whale=20 calves are also added to catalogues each summer. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The New England Aquarium crew should be = getting out=20 today to begin their season. Fog, thunderstorms and rain have kept = them on=20 shore so far. They have a blog this year and you can follow their = field=20 season at the following link: <A=20 href=3D"http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/blogs_webcams_videos= _and_more/blogs/bay_of_fundy/index.php"><FONT=20 face=3D"Times New Roman"=20 size=3D3>http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/blogs_webcams_video= s_and_more/blogs/bay_of_fundy/index.php</FONT></A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Cheers,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Laurie Murison<BR>Grand Manan Whale = & Seabird=20 Research Station <BR>24 Route 776<BR>Grand Manan, NB Canada E5G = 1A1<BR>506 662=20 3804, Fax 506 662 9804<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://www.gmwsrs.org">http://www.gmwsrs.org</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0028_01C8F6E6.4F88DE60--
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