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Executive Summary
In 2002, from aerial and shipboard
efforts in all areas combined, there were 139 sightings of right
whales, of which 135 right whales were photographed and analyzed for
this report. Of those 135 photographed sightings, 54 were from Cape
Cod Bay and state waters along the outer coast of Cape Cod between
Chatham and Provincetown (39 from aerial surveys and 15 from vessel
cruises), 30 were from aerial surveys of Stellwagen Bank/Wildcat
Knoll and 51 were from the Great South Channel.
To date, of the 135 photographed
sightings, 48 of 54 (88%) in Cape Cod Bay and adjacent state waters
and 21 of 30 (70%) in Stellwagen Bank/Wildcat Knoll have been
matched to an individual right whale. The 54 sightings from Cape Cod
Bay consisted of at least 24 different right whales. There were 18
right whales identified from aerial and vessel surveys and five
additional whales that have yet to be matched, but that do not match
any of the 18 animals plus one right whale photographed in the Cape
Cod Canal on 15 April that was not seen during surveys. The 30
photographed sightings on Stellwagen Bank/Wildcat Knoll represent 29
different right whales of which 21 have been matched to an
individual in the catalogue. Of note is one of the identified whales
(# 1145), an adult female, which was seen with a calf. This mother
calf pair was not recorded during any other surveys or on the
calving ground in the southeast US. Our sighting of the calf brings
the annual reproduction total for 2002 to 22 calves. Only one whale
was seen on more than one occasion (#1424, an entangled right whale)
and there remain eight individuals to be matched. There were 51
photographed sightings obtained in the two Great South Channel
aerial surveys. Of those, only four whales, two mother calf pairs
also seen on the calving, have been matched. The photographic
matching process for the remaining sightings is still underway. None
of the matches has undergone final confirmation by researchers the
New England Aquarium. This will take place in the autumn of 2002.
All sightings were reported upon completion of each survey to the
National Marine Fisheries Service Sighting Advisory System. These
aerial and vessel surveys are the principal source of right whale
sightings for the NMFA/SAS in the winter months for waters in the
northeast north of latitude 41°N.
Right whales were documented during aerial surveys of the Cape Cod
Bay Critical Habitat area, in state waters west of the critical
habitat and along the outer coast of Cape Cod between Chatham and
Race Point for 37 days from 7 February to 15 March 2002. These
visual sightings were augmented with passive acoustic monitoring in
Cape Cod Bay. The bottom-mounted hydrophones recorded low levels of
right whale calls from 24 December 2001 through April and early May.
The results of the combined research efforts document right whale
presence in Cape Cod Bay from late December through April into early
May consistent with the results of the past four years. These data
support the timing of existing management actions regarding gear
restrictions.
The presence of right whales in nearby areas outside of the critical
habitats of either Cape Cod Bay or the Great South Channel in 2002
and in past years suggests that a re-evaluation of the area
protected by ESA Critical Habitat designation is needed and timely
to adequately reflect the distribution and movements of right
whales. The use of these areas such as the eastern portion of
Stellwagen Bank and Wildcat Knoll has only come to light with the
expanded survey efforts of the last five years. Since these areas
are used for fishing activity and are transected by a major shipping
lane between Boston and New York, consideration should be given to
changing the boundaries of the neighboring Cape Cod Bay and Great
South Channel Critical Habitats to include these areas of seasonal
importance to right whales. We recommend that the data collected in
the Stellwagen Bank/Wildcat Knoll area over the last five years be
assessed using sightings-per-unit-of-effort analysis to determine
the density and seasonality of right whale use and that the area be
considered as a target for habitat sampling to assess the conditions
of the food resource and for passive acoustic monitoring equipment
to augment visual sightings. |
