Summary of the 2004 Season

A number of conditions during 2004 made for an unusual Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network season. By year’s end the number of confirmed reports of entangled whales was lower than in the previous five years. The most reasonable explanation for this is that lower overall numbers of whales of all species were seen in their typical inshore Gulf of Maine ranges. Massachusetts Bay generally had few humpback whales throughout the summer. In the northern Gulf of Maine considerable fog and wind created very poor sighting conditions until late in the season. Furthermore, aggregations of right whales did not appear in the Bay of Fundy until September, when sampling opportunities were less frequent. All told, 54 reports were called into the Network, and 22 of these reports were verified as entangled animals (17 whales, 5 turtles and basking sharks).

The early part of the year was dominated by sightings of two right whales that continue to survive entanglements first discovered in 2002. Right whales #2320 (Piper) and # 1424 both made appearances in Cape Cod Bay during the month of April. As a result, a fresh documentation and assessment process was initiated which resulted in the creation of new action plans for these whales. Both animals showed signs of improving condition, despite their continuing entanglements and the Network concluded that, beyond continued monitoring, no further directed disentanglement action was required for either. These plans were reconfirmed when both whales were re-documented on Roseway Basin in September. Another right whale entanglement, #2301, was also found at this time and one of the lines wrapping her head was cut with support from the New England Aquarium’s new research and rescue response vessel, Galatea.

Even though the overall number of reports was down, the Network embarked on its most involved disentanglement operations since the case of the right whale Churchill in 2001. On March 17, a New England Aquarium aerial surveillance team off the coast of Florida documented a yearling right whale with an extensive, complex entanglement. Thanks to continuing support from the Wildlife Trust/NOAA-Fisheries aerial team, Network responders were able to locate the whale and attach a telemetry buoy. The whale, dubbed Kingfisher for the Coast Guard cutter that provided logistical support for disentanglement efforts, was tracked north along the coast during the ensuing two weeks. A large portion of the Network was involved as local teams in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic worked with Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PPCCS) and NOAA-Fisheries staff to prepare logistics for further attempts. Ultimately, some gear was removed from the whale before the telemetry buoy was accidentally severed by a boat off New Jersey. This animal was not re-sighted until early January of 2005, when he was photographed off Georgia. Aerial and on-water documentation showed that the whale had lost a substantial portion of its entanglement and the Network agreed to continue monitoring the animal for further signs of shedding gear.

During the first half of December a handful of undocumented sightings from the Mid-Atlantic states were finally verified as an entangled right whale on December 21 when an aerial survey team off Georgia found a young whale towing a long length of line wrapped at the head. Network responders from Georgia and Florida successfully tagged the whale. Over the next ten days, as the whale was tracked during poor weather conditions, an action plan was created to respond to this highly mobile and lethally entangled animal. With USCG support out of Charleston, South Carolina, as well as aerial support from the Wildlife Trust, a team made up of NOAA-Fisheries, PCCS, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Georgia Department of Natural Resources headed out on the water on December 30. After tracking the whale through the night and after numerous attempts, all known entangling gear was removed from the whale when a line under load parted ( all told, the animal was tracked 924 nautical miles). Nicknamed Yellowfin in honor of the USCG vessel that supported the team, the whale was later identified by the New England Aquarium right whale research team as #3314, a two-year old.

The operations surrounding Kingfisher and Yellowfin reinforced the value of the multi-agency collaborative process of the Network. Resources in the form of vessels, aircraft and veterinary expertise were made readily available to these efforts. However, lessons were learned, including the need for disentanglement teams to remain adaptable, especially in regard to logistical restaging, during extended efforts on migrating whales.

In 2004 seven humpback whales were verified as entangled, one of which, a calf, later shed the gear on its own. Three of the remaining six humpbacks were found by Network members and disentangled. They included two animals anchored in gear off Cape Cod in summer and one individual anchored off Newport, Rhode Island in late-December. One of these humpbacks was found by tuna aerial/boat team working east of the Cape and Nantucket. These fishermen stood by the whale until PPCCS responders, including Doug Coughran from the West Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management, arrived. The whale had a very complicated entanglement and the team was able to remove enough of the gear to facilitate the shedding of the remainder. The USCG and the US Navy facilitated the disentanglement of the humpback off Rhode Island by providing vessel support and documentation respectively.

Three finback whales were documented as entangled (from Stellwagen Bank, North Carolina and the Bay of Fundy) including an individual with heavy line bunched within the blowholes. Despite Network responses, only one of these animals was successfully disentangled. This whale was reported as entangled off Grand Manan Island by a whale watch vessel. The newly formed disentanglement team at Campobello responded quickly and removed over 500-feet of line from the animal’s mouth.

One minke whale was verified as anchored in gear off Gloucester, and was disentangled with support from the USCG and the Massachusetts Environmental Police.

Network Developments & Research

The addition of the R/V Ibis in early August brought great improvement to first-response capabilities of the PCCS team. This vessel was designed and fabricated specifically to suit the team’s regional first response requirements. She was delivered in early August and was immediately pressed into service.

Research and development was a major focus of 2004. Our primary efforts were centered on a number of projects. PPCCS contracted Becky Woodward at the University of Maine to develop a prototype telemetry buoy intended to perform with significantly lower drag compared to the model in current use throughout the Network. The prototype underwent testing in early summer and performed with significantly less drag, however several bugs related to hydrodynamic stability, practical use and cost will need to be worked out for field use.

PPCCS also awarded a short-term contract to Greg Early for research on the feasibility of several of the undeveloped disentanglement techniques that have been suggested both by team members and others over the years.

PPCCS created an extensive series of web pages summarizing three complex, long-term right whale cases as a means to facilitate timely clinical input from several of the top marine mammal health experts in the US. The open and collaborative nature of the Network has benefited significantly from this very positive and constructive experience.

Network training and equipment expansion continued throughout 2004. Training sessions for Level One response were held at a number of USCG stations from Massachusetts to Georgia while entanglement outreach was targeted at select fishing expos. In December, Brian Sharp, the newest member of the PPCCS disentanglement team conducted Level One through Three trainings at eight different locations between Virginia Beach and Savannah. Over 65 participants were able to attend these sessions. During this trip equipment upgrades and inventories updated all of the equipment caches and kits.

In collaboration with International Wildlife Coalition with support from Massachusetts Environmental Trust, PPCCS conducted both field and classroom first response training for a local SeaTow franchise. This effort further improves the prospects of relocating entangled whales reported by whale watching vessels and other local boaters.

In late June PPCCS conducted upper-level training to the staff of the Mingan Island Cetacean Study and Parcs Canada on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The session was prompted by increased reports of entangled whales and a regional plan for entanglement being organized by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Solutions to the entanglement problem will continue to be sought while the Network expands and diversifies. Meanwhile, the Network depends upon the continued efforts of countless people, from fishermen to government agencies, from scientists to the general public.