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--Boundary_(ID_3jW2dtu/XXWQIUi+atU8FQ) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT JUNE 18, 2009 - See today's Globe and Mail on DFO's new recovery strategy for the Endangered NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE, including designations of two areas of Critical Habitat, namely the Grand Manan Basin, between the G. M. Island and western Nova Scotia, and Roseway Basin, south of Cape Sable Island. Dalhousie Univ.'s DR. CHRIS TAGGART was on CBC Radio's Maritime Noon today about this and about his current student Kim Davies' studies of the Roseway Basin, where there are large concentrations of the right whales' favourite food, COPEPODS, only about 1 mm. long, at depths of about 120 metres. The Globe and Mail says copepods are krill-like, which is very misleading/ incorrect; both are crustaceans, and krill are like small shrimps whereas copepods are much tinier and resemble "water fleas" in their shapes and jerky movments. Taggart said that the copepods are extremely rich in waxy esters?, which are lipids, which are concentrated in order for these crustaceans to overwinter at depth and then move up near the surface in Spring. The whales know where they are and concentrate in the area in order to feed there and do what other things right whales do (socialize, court?, etc.) for the Summer and Fall. Eating the copepods is "like eating diesel fuel", says Taggart, since they are so nutrient-rich. [I have used this fact for many years for teaching, i.e., that huge right whales can exist by eating primarily tiny copepods, as a testament to the huge productivity of the North Atlantic Ocean ecosystem! This is even more impressive when one recalls that many of the migratory baleen whales like humpbacks and right whales feed very little or not at all on their wintering grounds!] Another subject Taggart discussed on Marnoon was the changes since 2003 in SHIPPING LANES in the Bay of Fundy [Moira Brown et al. say the risks to right whales are now vastly reduced there], and the voluntary program of shipping avoidance in Roseway Basin. Both of these situations have been very positive for the whales, which were thought to suffer possibly up to 10 collisions with ships, many of them fatal, every year. In the Roseway Basin, studies have shown that at the moment 80% of the ships have been voluntarily avoiding the critical area and thus significantly reducing the risk of encounters with whales. P.S. Three cheers for PUBLIC RADIO! (let's lobby our governments for more support, and for restoring the two hours and staff for Maritime Noon!) and for continuing efforts to help our SPECIES AT RISK, which are mostly in that situation thanks to human assaults on our environments. --Boundary_(ID_3jW2dtu/XXWQIUi+atU8FQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 11.9px Arial"><b>JUNE 18, = 2009</b> - See today's <b>Globe and Mail </b>on DFO's new recovery = strategy for the Endangered <b>NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE</b>, including = designations of two areas of Critical Habitat, namely the Grand Manan = Basin, between the G. M. Island and western Nova Scotia,=A0 and Roseway = Basin, south of Cape Sable Island.=A0 Dalhousie Univ.'s <b>DR. CHRIS = TAGGART</b> was on CBC Radio's Maritime Noon today about this and about = his current student Kim Davies' studies of the Roseway Basin, where = there are large concentrations of the right whales' favourite food, = <b>COPEPODS</b>, only about 1 mm. long, at depths of about 120 metres.=A0 = The Globe and Mail says copepods are krill-like, which is very = misleading/incorrect; both are crustaceans, and krill are like small = shrimps whereas copepods are much tinier and resemble "water fleas" in = their shapes and jerky movments.=A0 Taggart said that the copepods are = extremely rich in waxy esters?, which are lipids, which are concentrated = in order for these crustaceans to overwinter at depth and then move up = near the surface in Spring.=A0 The whales know where they are and = concentrate in the area in order to feed there and do what other things = right whales do (socialize, court?, etc.) for the Summer and Fall.=A0 = Eating the copepods is "like eating diesel fuel", says Taggart, since = they are so nutrient-rich.=A0 [I have used this fact for many years for = teaching, i.e., that huge right whales can exist by eating primarily = tiny copepods, as a testament to the huge productivity of the North = Atlantic Ocean ecosystem!=A0 This is even more impressive when one = recalls that many of the migratory baleen whales like humpbacks and = right whales feed very little or not at all on their wintering = grounds!]</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 11.9px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 11.9px Arial">Another subject Taggart discussed on Marnoon was the = changes since 2003 in <b>SHIPPING LANES</b> in the Bay of Fundy [Moira = Brown et al. say the risks to right whales are now vastly reduced = there], and the voluntary program of shipping avoidance in Roseway = Basin.=A0 Both of these situations have been very positive for the = whales, which were thought to suffer possibly up to 10 collisions with = ships, many of them fatal, every year.=A0 In the Roseway Basin, studies = have shown that at the moment 80% of the ships have been voluntarily = avoiding the critical area and thus significantly reducing the risk of = encounters with whales.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 11.9px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 11.9px Arial">P.S.<b> Three cheers for PUBLIC RADIO! </b>(let's lobby = our governments for more support, and for restoring the two hours and = staff for Maritime Noon!)<b> </b>and for continuing efforts to help our = <b>SPECIES AT RISK</b>, which are mostly in that situation thanks to = human assaults on our environments.</font></div><div><font = class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Arial"><br></font></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_3jW2dtu/XXWQIUi+atU8FQ)--
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