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Whale watcher7/17/2023 Schulman-Janiger said a a large percentage of the whales that appear to be dying off are adult females. The drop has been declared an Unusual Mortality Event. But the latest figures tabulated in the winter of 2021/2022 placed the estimated population at 16,650. In 2016, NOAA Fisheries, estimated there were nearly 27,000 eastern North Pacific gray whales. And this is just the beginning of that calf life."Īnother reason it is extraordinary? The gray whale population is in sharp decline. A whale could get to be 50, 60, 80 years old. She added: "It's extraordinarily rare and really, really special for people to be able to share in those first few moments of a young whale's life. In fact, I don't know if there's any other video footage of something like that." "That isn't something that is seen very often or documented often. "The fact that you can see the blood pool means the calf must have just come out," she said. The various clips are a tremendous windfall for gray whale researchers, Schulman-Janiger said, marveling that the "astounding" footage was captured at all. That's why there's a lot of tactile contact and touching going on." A boon for whale research "Land mammals smell each other but ocean mammals can't smell so a lot of their skin (is) very sensitive. Until then, they can't really swim forward so they need to be guided and helped along.Īnd when the calf swims up toward its mother's face to rub itself against her, Schulman-Janiger said that's typical mammal behavior. Part of the reason for that is that gray whale calves are born with soft flukes that take about 24 hours to become rigid. "The mom is holding the calf up, supporting it so the calf can rest and actually helping it be able to take a breath." As a researcher who has studied whales for decades, she said these early moments in the calf's life show how it bonds with its mother. Schulman-Janiger said she has watched the video several times. From December through much of May, the group keeps track of the massive mammals as they make the journey from their feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas near Alaska to the warm water lagoons in Baja California, Mexico. Schulman-Janiger runs the Los Angeles chapter of the American Cetacean Society's Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project. Monterey Bay Whale Watch - Whale Watching Trips on Monterey Bay, one of the best things to do in Monterey, viewing whales and dolphins off the coast of. "I so wish that I was there," Alisa Schulman-Janiger told NPR, after a day of counting migrating gray whales a little farther north up the coast of California. All the while, the 24-foot long inflatable tour boats are dwarfed by size of the mother, which is somewhere between 40 to 50 feet.Īt one point the mother appears to swim under one of the brightly colored boats and slightly lift it out of the water. Later, when the calf pokes its fluke out from below the surface of the water, she adds, "It's so floppy." Whale cuddles, water mammal bonding, and other explanationsĭrone and cell phone video show the baby whale lying on its mother and the two nuzzling their faces together. Some boaters spend time whale watching during their on-the-water excursions or fishing trips."Ooh, it's so cute," the woman said. Whale Watching Tips for Boaters It is important to learn the whale watching guidelines if you go out on a private boat. Visit Whale SENSE, to learn about responsible whale watch operators and tips for your whale watching experience. This logo indicates to passengers that a company follows responsible whale watching practices. In recognition of their commitment to protecting whales, participating companies are approved to display the Whale SENSE logo. The program originated with NOAA Fisheries, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Whale SENSE recognizes whale watching companies committed to responsible practices. Check the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism’s Whale Trail website for links to daily whale watch operations, and visit individual companies’ websites to learn more about specific trip details. Schedules vary, but most companies offer trips from the beginning of May until the end of October, although several may start earlier or end later in the season. Several whale watching operators, from Newburyport to Provincetown, Massachussettes, make regular trips out to the sanctuary and adjacent waters. Several students on a whale watch observe a whale and another vessel. Whale Watch Operators Whale watch companies depart from several ports in Massachusetts for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Other lists from environmental organizations, magazines, and newspapers have ranked the sanctuary among the world’s premier whale watching locations. USA Today’s 2016 Top10 survey for “ Best Places in the US to See Aquatic Life” put Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in the top spot.
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