Lauduree (Perla Haney-Jardine) is a 13-year-old loner, passionate about nature and obsessed with ecological disaster

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is delighted to announce that Jenny Deller, writer and producer of the powerful film Future Weather is the keynote speaker at the Center's upcoming Homeport Banquet. Acclaimed actress Lili Taylor, star of Future Weather, Six Feet Under, and many other stage and screen productions, is this year's guest of honor.

Future Weather, which opens the Science-on-Film Mini-Festival at Waters Edge cinema on April 19, is an award-winning drama about finding the courage to survive change. Lili Taylor plays Ms Markovi, an environmentally-active science teacher whose student, Lauduree (Perla Haney-Jardine), is a 13-year-old loner, passionate about nature and obsessed with ecological disaster. Greta (Amy Madigan), Lauderee's grandmother, is a fiery nurse jaded by alcohol and disappointment. When Lauduree is abruptly abandoned by her dreamer single mom she decides to take survival into her own hands, forcing her and Greta to rethink their futures. ...more

 

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) has received a grant from the Fishing For Energy program to assess and recover derelict, lost or abandoned fishing gear from the seabed in Provincetown and Wellfleet harbors.  The project will begin with side-scan sonar surveys to quantify the presence of gear and identify recovery targets.  PCCS is soliciting 4-8 Cape Cod Bay commercial fishing vessels to participate in the marine debris clean-up, working in known areas of gear presence as well as in locations identified with sonar, through March 15, 2013.  Participating vessels will receive a fuel stipend of $650/day for a maximum of six days.

Qualified commercial fishing vessels must be rigged for lobstering or dragging and have working electronics to provide depth and location and to facilitate safe navigation; provide adequate crew to perform work on-board and at the dock and who are knowledgeable in handling grapple and derelict fishing gear; and have equipment capable of towing and hauling a grapple or drag laden with gear up to one ton in force. ...more

 

North Atlantic right whale "Wart" with her new calf, photographed today in Plymouth Harbor by PCCS right whale aerial survey team. PCCS image under NOAA Fisheries permit 14603.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) and Whale and Dolphin Conservation today confirmed that a female right whale and her calf are spending time off Plymouth, Massachusetts. The sighting of a mother and calf right whale in January is very early for Cape Cod Bay and this is by far the earliest on record for PCCS, which has been conducting aerial surveys for right whales since 1997. It is believed that the vast majority of right whale births occur off the coasts of Georgia and Florida between January and December, with mother/calf pairs returning to feeding grounds, like Cape Cod Bay, in early-April. While it is unknown where or exactly this mother gave birth, it is clear that calf is very young.

This sighting is particularly important because of the identity of the mother, which was confirmed late today by researchers at New England Aquarium.  Wart, as she is known, was last seen in May 2010,  just days after being disentangled from fishing gear by the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team at PCCS.  The team had made six attempts over three years to remove a life-threatening entanglement.  They were finally successful in 2010 thanks to a novel disentanglement tool that they had recently developed.  However, the lack of resightings once she was free resulted in concerns about her fate. ...more

 

Right whale skim feeding in Cape Cod Bay on December 12, 2012. Image by PCCS under NOAA Fisheries permit 633-1763, under the authority of the U.S. Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts.

The first confirmed sighting of rare North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay was recorded on Wednesday, December 12 by staff at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS). The two whales were spotted off Billingsgate in Wellfleet, skim feeding at the water's surface.

North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, are among the rarest of the baleen whale species, with a population of just 502. Cape Cod Bay is a rich feeding ground for these massive animals; in the first half of 2012, more than 315 individuals (over 60% of the entire population) were spotted in and around the Bay by Center researchers and aerial observers.

For the scientists at PCCS, this sighting heralds the beginning of the 2013 research season. For more than thirty years the Center has studied right whales and their use of Cape Cod Bay. Current programs include aerial surveillance, habitat and food resource monitoring, and investigations into the effects of long-term climate change on the population. ...more

 

Who: Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, The Humane Society of the United States, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies

What: Campaign launch, expert panel discussion, and video premier - "Countdown to Extinction: One Year to Act to Save Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales". The New Bedford Whaling Museum and Whale and Dolphin Conservation are hosting an open forum to discuss the plight of the North Atlantic right whale.  Join leading scientists and advocates in discussing the threats facing North Atlantic right whales. In addition to an expert panel discussion, curriculum guides for teachers will be available.

When: Sunday December 9, 2012 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Where: New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740

Why: Leading right whale scientists and advocates come together to mark the one year countdown to the expiration of the Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Rule and to ask the federal government to keep the rule in place, giving critically endangered North Atlantic right whales a chance to survive. The biggest threat to these animals was - and still is - man. Right whale populations were depleted to near extinction by whaling. With approximately 500 individuals remaining, the North Atlantic right whale is on the brink of extinction with vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements and a lack of adequate habitat protection continuing to threaten their existence. Currently, seventy-two percent of their known mortality is attributed to human causes. Public support to keep the ten knot speed rule in place is needed. ...more

 

Marc Costa of the Cape Cod Bay Water Monitoring Program retrieves samples in Cape Cod Bay. PCCS image.

Researchers in the Cape Cod Bay Monitoring Program  (CCBMP) at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) have announced the release of the  technical report "How is Our Bay? Five Years of Environmental Monitoring of Cape Cod Bay."

"How is Our Bay?" presents the results of analyses of five years of data on water quality collected at 54 stations throughout the Cape Cod Bay; four years of eelgrass habitat studies at five locations; four years of monitoring in five harbors for the presence of marine invasive species; and a summary of a preliminary assessment for the presence of four pharmaceutical compounds at five sampling locations.

Cape Cod Bay supports rich and varied marine and coastal ecosystems that include habitat for endangered marine mammals and birds. It also supports the region's economy, with commercial and recreational fishing and coastal tourism generating close to, if not more than, $2 billion a year in direct and indirect revenues.  These activities are dependent on good water quality and the protection of coastal and marine habitats. ...more

 

Lines embedded in fluke of young humpback whale. PCCS image taken under NOAA permit 932-1905.

Earlier today the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) disentangled a young humpback whale in waters just outside Cape Cod Bay. This is the eleventh whale rescued by the team in 2012, making this the most successful year for disentanglement operations since the program was initiated in 1984.

Responding to a report from a member of the public, the team found the young humpback with multiple wraps of line wound tightly around its fluke and embedded in its flesh.

Working from a small inflatable vessel, the responders used grappling hooks to gain purchase on the entanglement then attached large buoys to the lines to slow the animal and keep it close to the surface. A fixed knife on the end of a long pole was then used to make several strategic cuts in the line and the drag created by the buoys pulled the entanglement from the whale. Though badly wounded, the whale swam off gear-free.

"Despite the horrific injuries this animal sustained, it stands a far better chance of survival now that it is able to move freely" said Lisa Sette of the MAER program.

The timing of this entanglement was fortunate; the R/V Ibis, the vessel utilized by the MAER team for disentanglement operations, is scheduled to be hauled out for extensive and much needed repairs in the next few days. ...more

 

On Saturday, December 1 from 11 am to 4 pm, renowned wetland biologist and educator Diane Boretos will lead a wildlife tracking workshop through the Outer Cape's Province Lands.

The workshop begins at 11 am with a lecture and PowerPoint presentation at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies' Hiebert Marine Lab at 5 Holway Avenue. Participants will then carpool to the Beech Forest where, using animal footprints, scat and other indicators, they will learn how to identify a variety of native Cape Cod mammals including red fox, eastern coyote, river otter, mink, meadow voles and shrews.

Diane Boretos has been tracking wildlife in New England and in the Rocky Mountains for more than 15 years and has studied with master trackers such as Jim Halfpenny and Paul Rezendes. She is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist and the principal biologist and founder of Call of the Wild Consulting and Environmental Services.

Cost is just $25 per person. Bring lunch and water and dress for the weather. ...more

 

Marine Animal Entanglement Response team from Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies works to free entangled humpback calf. PCCS image taken under NOAA permit 932-1905 with authority of the ESA.

This week the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) successfully freed six individual animals belonging to endangered populations, including two humpback whales and three leatherback turtles, from life-threatening entanglements in the waters off Cape Cod to New Hampshire.

On Sunday a commercial fisherman reported a humpback whale caught in gear off Jeffreys Ledge, approximately 25 miles east of the New Hampshire coast. The fisherman, along with the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP), stood by the whale until the MAER team arrived. Once on the scene the disentanglement crew found that the whale was anchored in place with line wrapped around the base of its tail and the left fluke blade. Working from a small inflatable vessel the team used a sharp knife attached to a 30-foot pole to cut the line, which then unwound from the animal's flukes. Once freed, the whale swam off quickly.

On Monday a recreational boater spotted a humpback swimming off Peaked Hill in Provincetown with a buoy in tow. Despite having line caught in its mouth and wrapped around its head the whale was swimming and diving freely, so the MAER crew attached a number of buoys the entanglement using a grappling hook to slow the animal and keep it close to the surface. A fixed knife on the end of a pole was then used to cut the line and the drag created by the buoys pulled the off the gear. ...more

 

The MAER team using a thirty-foot pole to cut the lines holding down the flukes of a humpback whale east of NH on Sunday. PCCS Image taken under NOAA Permit 932-1905

This week the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) successfully freed six individual animals belonging to endangered populations, including two humpback whales and three leatherback turtles, from life-threatening entanglements in the waters off Cape Cod to New Hampshire.

On Sunday a commercial fisherman reported a humpback whale caught in gear off Jeffreys Ledge, approximately 25 miles east of the New Hampshire coast. The fisherman, along with the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP), stood by the whale until the MAER team arrived. Once on the scene the disentanglement crew found that the whale was anchored in place with line wrapped around the base of its tail and the left fluke blade. Working from a small inflatable vessel the team used a sharp knife attached to a 30-foot pole to cut the line, which then unwound from the animal's flukes. Once freed, the whale swam off quickly.

On Monday a recreational boater spotted a humpback swimming off Peaked Hill in Provincetown with a buoy in tow. Despite having line caught in its mouth and wrapped around its head the whale was swimming and diving freely, so the MAER crew attached a number of buoys the entanglement using a grappling hook to slow the animal and keep it close to the surface. A fixed knife on the end of a pole was then used to cut the line and the drag created by the buoys pulled the off the gear. ...more

 

Photo-voltaic solar panel array. Image courtesy of My Generation Energy.

On Thursday, September 20 the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) will host a public ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the installation of solar energy panels on the roof of the Hiebert Marine Laboratory. The event will take place at 4 pm at 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown.

The 38.4 kW photo-voltaic array, installed by Brewster-based company My Generation Energy, went live in May 2012. Electricity produced by the panels powers the Marine Laboratory and excess is credited to the Center's Administration Building on Bradford Street.

"The environmental and economic benefits of the system have been remarkable" said Rich Delaney, President and CEO of the Center. "In just four months, the system has produced 14,125 kWh of electricity and almost 20,000 lb of carbon offsets. In other words, it has already removed greenhouse gases from the atmosphere equivalent to the emissions of two passenger vehicles and equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by two acres of pine or fir forest. ...more

 

Bowhead whale in a Surface Active Group with North Atlantic right whales off the coast of Orleans, MA. PCCS image under NOAA Permit #14603

Researchers at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies have observed a bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This is the first time in recorded history that a bowhead has been seen so far south in the North Atlantic.

Bowheads, which are related to the right whale, inhabit the Arctic Ocean and far northern reaches of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and are specifically adapted to life in the polar region. They have very thick blubber that provides both insulation and energy storage, and can remain underwater for up to 35 minutes, swimming long distances beneath the Arctic pack ice and using their immense skull to push up through sea ice to create breathing holes. Like the right whale, bowheads are slow-moving filter feeders that subsist largely on zooplankton such as copepods.  They are also protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The bowhead was spotted in the waters east of Orleans by researchers from the Center's Right Whale Population Program during an aerial survey in March 2012. The individual, a juvenile approximately 43 feet long, was engaged in social behavior with a group of mostly young North Atlantic right whales in a formation known as a Surface Active Group (SAG). ...more

 

Leatherback sea turtle freed on Wednesday off Truro. PCCS image under NOAA 50 CFR 222.310.

On Saturday afternoon the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) disentangled a young humpback whale outside Chatham Harbor.

The whale was found and reported by tuna fishermen, who then stood by the animal until the responders arrived from Provincetown.

When the MAER team arrived on scene they found Hiatus, a relatively young humpback, firmly anchored in place by an entanglement that consisted of many wraps of rope through its mouth and around the body.

The responders, working from a small inflatable boat, used a twenty foot pole and hook-shaped knife to make numerous cuts in the entanglement, eventually freeing the whale from the rope and gear.

The team is well-acquainted with Hiatus: they disentangled this whale at nearly the same spot on July 5, 2012. "This was very unusual and not a pleasant coincidence" said Scott Landry, director of the entanglement response program. "We'd like to think that whales could learn to avoid entanglements but we know that the issue may be more complicated than that. Hopefully Hiatus will have a bit of time to heal from these events." ...more

 

Leatherback sea turtle freed on Wednesday off Truro. PCCS image under NOAA 50 CFR 222.310.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies' Marine Animal Entanglement Response (PCCS MAER) team freed two entangled leatherback sea turtles in the last two days.

Both turtles were anchored in fishing gear in Cape Cod Bay, with wraps of line around their neck and foreflippers. In both cases the turtles were found by recreational boaters, who quickly reported the sightings to the PCCS MAER hotline and stood by the animal until responders arrived.

On Tuesday, a large female leatherback (approximately 4.5 feet long) was discovered outside Sesuit Harbor. Personnel from PCCS and the Dennis Harbormaster Department responded and released the turtle.

On Wednesday a large male leatherback (five feet long) was found just offshore of south Truro; PCCS and entanglement response trainees from Brazil and Argentina worked to free the turtle.

After release both turtles swam off vigorously. ...more

 

On Saturday, August 25 from 9:45 am to 2 pm, wetland biologist and educator Diane Boretos will lead a wildlife tracking workshop through the Outer Cape's Province Lands.

Using animal footprints, scat and other indicators, participants will learn how to identify a variety of native Cape Cod mammals including red fox, eastern coyote, river otter, mink, meadow voles and shrews.

Diane Boretos has been tracking wildlife in New England and in the Rocky Mountains for more than 15 years and has studied with master trackers such as Jim Halfpenny and Paul Rezendes. She is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist and the principal biologist and founder of Call of the Wild Consulting and Environmental Services. ...more

 

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is pleased to announce the third lecture in the new Chase Miller Policy Forum.

On Tuesday August 21, Owen Nichols, Director of the Center's Marine Fisheries Research program, and Henry Lind, retired Shellfish Biologist and Director of the Town of Eastham Department of Natural Resources for the Town of Eastham, will present "Drawing Lines in the Sand: Mapping and Managing Community Aquaculture Development."

The lecture will take place at 7 pm at the Chatham Community Center, 702 Main Street, Chatham.

Owen Nichols, Director of the Center's Marine Fisheries Research program, works to foster collaboration and understanding between commercial fisheries and scientists, and conducts cooperative research and education with a focus on scientific and policy issues confronting Cape Cod's fishermen and aquaculturists. He is a research assistant and PhD candidate in the Department of Fisheries Oceanography at the University of Massachusetts.  His current research focus is the distributional ecology of squid and finfish and implications for fishery management. ...more

 

The  Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is pleased to announce the second lecture in the new Chase Miller Policy Forum.

On Monday August 13, Jeff Williams, Scientist Emeritus with the United States Geological Service (USGS) and an affiliate graduate facility member in the Geology and Geophysics Department at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa, will discuss SEA LEVEL RISE EFFECTS ON CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS: What to Expect with Climate Change?

The lecture will take place at 5 pm at the Hiebert Marine Lab, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown.

Prior to his retirement in 2010, Mr. Williams was a senior research coastal marine geologist with the USGS at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center;  his work focused primarily on the geologic history and processes of coastal, estuarine, wetland, and inner-continental-shelf regions. ...more

 

Whale watchers aboard the Dolphin Fleet get a birds-eye view of a feeding humpback. PCCS image.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) is pleased to introduce The Chase-Miller Policy Forum, a series of free lectures and discussions designed to educate the public on the role of science in public policy as it relates to the marine environment. This forum was made possible by the generous support of Linda B. Miller, PhD, a long-time patron and member of the PCCS Board of Directors.

The program begins on Tuesday, July 24 at 7:30 pm at the Truro Community Center with a lecture by Dr. Carole Carlson titled: THE VALUE OF WHALE WATCHING: Its contribution to Science and Conservation.

Carole Carlson is an Adjunct Scientist with the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and Director of Research and Education for the Dolphin Fleet. She has spent more than twenty-six years studying cetaceans off the east coast of the United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic and the Eastern Caribbean and is an acknowledged world expert on photo-identification techniques, humpback whales and whale watching. Her work (and that of Dr. Stormy Mayo) on humpback whale photo-identification at the Center for Coastal Studies was the inspiration for the PBS series "The Voyage of the Mimi". ...more

 

The winners of the 2011 Build Your Own Boat Race Best Costume Category. PCCS image.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies invites you to bring family and friends to Whale Week - A Celebration of the Sea!

This fun, marine-themed festival, which takes place between July 23 and July 28, was launched in 2011 and is the brain-child of the Center's Education director, Jesse Mechling, who wanted to expand visitors' connection with the marine environment on the Outer Cape.

Whale Week features a host of fun, family-friendly events and activities, all with a briny theme.

The festival begins on Monday, July 23 at 5pm with the hugely entertaining Home Made Boat Race, sponsored and coordinated by Venture Athletics Kayak Shop. Teams from local businesses and organizations will launch their water-craft on the beach behind Whalers Wharf and the Crown and Anchor; Jay Critchley of the Provincetown Community Compact will emcee and Candy Collins-Boden of the Provincetown Chamber, Erin Atwood of the Provincetown Business Guild and comedian Mimi Gonzalez will judge. Points will be awarded not only for the contestants speed on the water, but also on the inventiveness of their boat and costume, and on the amount of marine debris they collect en route. Pledges collected by participating teams will support the Center's education programs. ...more

 

The flukes of Serengeti as the team makes an assessment of the entanglement before disentanglement. PCCS image taken under NOAA permit 932-1905.

On Friday afternoon the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) Team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies disentangled another humpback whale off Chatham, the second in the last two days. The team worked with the US Coastguard, local fishermen and recreational boaters to accomplish the task.

Line that was attached to heavy gear at the seafloor was caught in the whales mouth and wrapped around its head, making normal breathing difficult for the animal.

Using a grappling hook to secure the rope beneath the whale, the team then used a hooked knife at the end of a thirty foot pole to make a single cut that released the whale.

The Center's Humpback Whale Studies program identified the animal as Serengeti, a whale seen recently in local waters. While bruised and abraded by its entanglement, the team expects the whale to make a good recovery. Scars from the entanglement will be monitored by the Humpback Studies program as part of a long term project to better understand the impact of entanglements on the humpback population. ...more

 

MAER team used hooked knives on the end of long poles to cut the lines from the entangled whale. PCCS image taken under NOAA permit 932-1905.

Today the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) Team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies disentangled a young humpback whale approximately 5 miles east of  Chatham, MA.

The entanglement was reported to the MAER hotline at approximately 7:30 am by recreational boaters, who then stood by the whale until the responders arrived from Provincetown.

According to Scott Landry, director of the MAER program, the whale was heavily entangled and anchored in place, with line through its mouth and wrapped several times around its body and tail.

Once on site the team, working from a small inflatable boat, used hook-shaped knives on the end of long poles to sever the line. After several strategic cuts the weight of the gear pulled the remaining entanglement from the whale. Bruised and abraded the  whale swam off, gear free. ...more

 

On June 10, the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies received a report of a beluga whale in Cape Cod Bay, observed off Long Point Light, Provincetown.  Subsequently, the beluga has also been sighted in the vicinity of the Cape Cod Canal.  The beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), also known as the white whale, is an Arctic and sub-Arctic species, adapted to Arctic conditions and typically associated with the ice edge, where it can dive under the ice in search of prey.  The Gulf of St. Lawrence is the typical southern range for the species and the occurrence of a beluga in Cape Cod Bay is a rare event.  During 2004, a young beluga (named 'Poco' for the town of Pocologan, New Brunswick, where it was first reported) was observed off Boston and elsewhere along the coast of New England.  It is possible that the beluga recently sighted in Cape Cod Bay may also be reported in coming months along the coast of New England. ...more

 

The entanglement response team throws a cutting grapple into the entanglement of the humpback whale, Basmati. PCCS image taken under NOAA permit 932-1905.

Yesterday, the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) marine animal entanglement response (MAER) team worked to disentangle a humpback whale north of Provincetown. The whale, a female with a young calf, had a relatively minor entanglement, but the team removed some of the gear to minimize the chances of the entanglement becoming more complex. The entanglement was reported by staff aboard a Dolphin Fleet whale watch vessel. The boat stood by to monitor the animal until the MAER team arrived on site.

The whale had a relatively short length of line and two buoys on the flukes. While the entanglement should have been shed by the whale relatively quickly, the team noted that healed scars from a previous entanglement were holding the current entanglement in place. To reduce the chances that her current entanglement would snag on more gear, the team removed one of the buoys and a short length of line during a 4 hour operation. Removal of more of her entanglement was deemed too risky due to the presence of her young calf and the fact that the pair was in a large feeding aggregation of other humpback whales. She will be monitored by the whale watch community and the team believes that her remaining entanglement will be shed naturally over time.

The humpback was identified as Basmati, a 14-year old female with a dependent calf, her second on record, according to the PCCS humpback studies program.  Center researchers are very familiar with her lineage, and have documented four generations since the 1970s. Basmati exhibits scarring from previous entanglements, and these may have contributed to this latest incident. Entanglement is one of the leading causes of serious injury and mortality in humpback whales, and Center scientists have determined that more than half of the humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine have scars that were likely the result of having been entangled in lines and nets. ...more

 

More than 400 guests attended the 2011 Wine and Whales event. Images Courtesy of PCCS.

On Saturday June 2, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod presents Wine and Whales, a special fundraiser to support the Center's whale rescue and research programs. The event also celebrates the re-release of two unique wines developed by Truro Vineyards in honor of the 35th Anniversary of Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.

The wines - Right Red and Right White – are named for the North Atlantic right whale, one of the rarest of the baleen whale species. A percentage of the proceeds from every bottle of Right Red and Right White sold throughout the year will be donated to PCCS to support scientific research into right whales and other marine mammals in Cape Cod Bay and beyond.

...more

 

On May 5, 2012, the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS), the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension/Woods Hole Sea Grant (CCCE/WHSG) and the Shellfish Departments of Provincetown and Truro, with support from the Cape Cod Economic Development Council, will offer a workshop on "Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Subtidal Shellfish Aquaculture Techniques."

The event will include presentations by local shellfish growers, scientists, and town and state officials on a variety of topics including subtidal shellfish culture techniques, shellfish aquaculture management, economics and marketing, preventing marine animal entanglement, food safety/health, and scientific research.

This workshop is free and open to all, but is particularly relevant to prospective shellfish growers hoping to pursue shellfish aquaculture in the new community Provincetown-Truro Aquaculture Development Area (ADA) and to individuals who want to learn more about sustainable subtidal aquaculture techniques.

Subtidal (below the low tide line) aquaculture differs from the more common intertidal methods used on Cape Cod, as it is conducted in deeper water (approximately 20 feet) and poses unique challenges due to the need to access shellfish stock in deeper water via floating cages, diving, or other means.

...more

 

The response team pulls itself up the entanglement to assess the condition of the humpback whale anchored in gear off Mount Desert Island, Maine. PCCS Image taken under NOAA Permit #932-1905.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) marine animal entanglement response (MAER) team, in partnership with the Maine Marine Patrol and the National Marine Fisheries, disentangled a humpback whale yesterday (April 11, 2012) offshore of Mount Desert Island, Maine. The whale was heavily entangled and had been anchored in place by gear for at least three days before being reported to authorities by local fishermen.

The disentanglement team was able to remove all the gear during a 4-hour operation, and although the whale was very thin and had extensive wounds from its entanglement, it swam off quickly, giving the team hope that it would soon begin feeding and start the healing process.

The whale was disentangled using tools and techniques developed by Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. In this case, the team attached large buoys to the entanglement to release the strain of the multiple sets of heavy gear beneath the whale. While the team could not fully raise this gear, the slack produced by the buoys allowed the whale to spend more time near the surface. Working from a small inflatable boat the team, which included responders from Maine Marine Patrol (MMP) and National Marine Fisheries, used a twenty-foot pole and hook-shaped knife to selectively cut away rope that was lodged in the mouth of the whale and wrapped around its flippers and flukes. Once a series of cuts were made, the weight of the gear began to pull the entanglement from the animal. Eventually the whale rolled violently, shaking loose all of the entangling gear. ...more

 

Entangled North Atlantic right whale # 3821. PCCS Image taken under NOAA Permit #932-1905.

Researchers from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) aerial survey team are reporting an aggregation of North Atlantic right whales very close to the beach at Sandy Neck in Barnstable. A group of about 25 animals is clearly visible from the shore.

Whales are also visible from the beach at Herring Cove and Race Point in Provincetown, and were recently spotted off Sandwich and Plymouth.

This phenomenon represents a rare and early opportunity to view one of the world's most endangered animals at relatively close range, as State and Federal regulation prevent the whale-watch and other boats from approaching a right whale within a 500 yard (1500 ft) buffer zone. ...more

Entangled North Atlantic right whale # 3821. PCCS Image taken under NOAA Permit #932-1905.

A rare North Atlantic right whale was freed from entanglement today by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies’ (PCCS) Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team.

The whale was sighted by the MAER team during a dedicated search. The whale had line looped over the head and through the mouth. The team used a thirty foot pole and hook shaped knife to cut the loop. The whale will likely shed the remaining line in the mouth over time. The disentanglement today was only a mile away from where this whale was disentangled from a different set of gear in 2009. The whale is a young male identified as 3821. ...more

Right whale breaching in Cape Cod Bay.

The first confirmed sighting of North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay was recorded on Thursday, December 15th by Charles "Stormy" Mayo, Director of Right Whale Habitat Studies at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. The two to three whales were spotted in Provincetown Harbor, opposite the east end of Provincetown. Mayo remarked that "the whales were putting on a show the likes of which I've never ever seen except from humpbacks; perhaps 100 breaches, some simultaneous side by side." When not breaching, the whales formed a Surface Active Group (SAG), a type of social behavior between two or more whales that involves frequent body contact, often with whales rolling on their sides or backs. SAGs are thought to play a role in mating; however, because they occur throughout the year, many scientists believe that they have other social functions as well. ...more

Badly entangled flukes of the humpback whale as team members approach to throw a grapple into the entanglement. PCCS image. Taken under NOAA permit 932-1905 with authority of the ESA.

The Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies disentangled a young humpback whale this morning off Chatham, MA.

Scott Landry, director of the program, said that the operation would not have been possible without the support of local fishermen. "It was like the good old days when fishermen and whale people worked together to solve a tough problem" he said.

Fishermen stood by and assessed the whale until the responders arrived from Provincetown. All line and netting were removed from the whale. "The whale took off quickly once free, contrary to popular belief about whales thanking their rescuers" said teammate Doug Sandilands. ...more

PCCS Marine Animal Entanglement Response team. PCCS image taken under NOAA Fisheries Permit 932-1489

Scientists and whale entanglement experts from many countries gathered this week in Provincetown, Massachusetts for a three-day workshop on welfare issues associated with the entanglement of large whales. Organized by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and hosted by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, the workshop met to advance recommendations about large whale entanglements that had initially been put forth at an earlier workshop that was held in Maui, Hawaii in 2010.

Although many hundreds of incidents of whales being entangled in fishing gear are reported each year, researchers estimate that many thousands more are unreported throughout the world's oceans; workshop participants recommended enhancing efforts by all countries to improve monitoring entanglements which, together with ship strikes, are the two majors threats to the healthy recovery of many species of endangered marine mammals ...more