Local residents are helping researchers in tagging whales off New Smyrna Beach in Florida with special transmitters to track their migration movements.
One such tagged whale, a North Atlantic right whale that is classified as an endangered animal, was found to take only 11 days to travel almost 800 miles to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, and then another 400 miles over eight days to Long Island.
The 1,200 mile journey was likely to have been a routine one for the whale, but it was the first time that the trip was tracked.
Scientists have been searching for years to determine a successful and safe way to tag and track right whales. The journey of the whale, named S078, is a huge step in the researchers' efforts.
"Scientists charged with coming up with potential solutions to the dangers the whales face want better movement information," said University of Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Sea Life Center researcher Russ Andrews, who is the leader of the whale tagging project.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission scientist Tom Pitchford, local residents significantly contributed to the efforts to tag S078. A call placed in the early morning to the right whale hotline of the Marine Resource Council led to the formation of a team that was big enough to tag the animal.
What then transpired was a great collaborative effort between the researchers and volunteers, resulting in a satellite transmitter embedded in a layer of blubber at the back of S078 by late in the afternoon. The transmitter was designed by Andrews.
The North Atlantic right whale is considered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as critically endangered, with the animals numbering only between 450 and 500 today. The whales are threatened by ship strikes and being entangled in commercial fishing equipment.
Researchers have been working for several years to develop a tagging method for the animals that will allow the tags to stay on the whales for a long time, but will not hurt the whale or change its behavior.
It is very difficult to tag right whales because they do not have dorsal fins, which is where tags are usually placed. This means that they needed to develop a tag that will be able to maintain its position on the smooth surface of the animal, according to NOAA Fisheries coordinator for the recovery program of the right whales in the Southeast.
The skin of the right whale occasionally sloughs off, and the weight of the animals of up to 55 tons means that the tags should be able to withstand the pressure when the whales socialize and roll around in the water.
With the tag developed by Andrews being able to stay on S078 for the duration of the whale's trip, this shows progress on the tagging project of the right whales. This could lead to possibly more information for scientists to understand the behavior of the right whales to help in the recovery of their population.
Photo: Lauren Packard / NOAA | Flickr
