“News and views from the premier whale watching vessel Condor Express, Santa Barbara California�
Volume 1, Number 4 - Late Summer, 2011
BLUE WHALES and HUMPBACK WHALES ! Fig 1 - Surface lunge feeding Humpback Whale.
When coastal upwelling (see article on page 3) fuels the local food chain and krill are abundant on the surface, this is a rare opportunity to witness the lunge feeding behavior of Humpbacks and Blues. In Figure 1 a Humpback Whale, on its right side, is feeding on the surface and we are looking directly into the open mouth. The upper jaw with its pink palate and bushy baleen is on the left of the image, and the lower jaw with its accordion-like ventral grooves expanded and full of water containing krill is on the right. http://www.condorexpressphotos.com/Other/2011-07-23-All-Day-SC-Bight/
H
umpback Whales and Blue Whales have been abundant on the feeding grounds for the past several weeks. This is typical summer behavior for these giants that migrate to feed in the Santa Barbara Channel every year at this time.
Krill, see Figure 2, are Arthropod Crustaceans in the Order Euphausiacea. In the Santa Barbara Channel, the most common species is about an inch and a quarter in length. Krill are full of fats and oils that nourish the great whales. Fig 2 - Krill from the SB Channel (Thysanoessa spinifera).
The first Humpbacks of the season were photographed by our Crew on April 11, 2011, during the annual northbound Gray Whale migration. This is a time when we sometimes get lucky and see both Grays and Humpbacks on the same coastal whale watch trip. Coastal whale watch trips begin mid-February and run until the end of April. Blue whales arrived in May and often stay well into the Fall.
http://www.marinebiophotography.com/Crustaceans/KRILL/
----------------------------------------------------- Take a Peak Inside------------------------------------------------------on page 4 and find out how to get mugged. page 1
THE CONDOR EXPRESS AND CIMWI JOIN FORCES TO HELP MARINE MAMMALS !
Visit: www.CIMWI.org
CIMWI campus. Formerly the Vista del Mar Union School and recently donated to CIMWI by the Hollister family.
Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) is dedicated to making a difference through marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, research and education to promote ocean and human health. CIMWI (pronounced "sim-wee") is a part of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program under the direction of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. CIMWI is the only authorized organization to respond to and rehabilitate pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) and cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises and whales) for Ventura County. CIMWI provides acute and long-term medical care and rehabilitation for these injured, stranded and distress marine mammals. CIMWI’s goal is to release the rehabilitated animals back to their natural environment. Animals are only released if CIMWI’s Chief Veterinarian is confident in their ability to successfully survive. In order to facilitate successful reintroductions, rehabilitated marine mammals are released in areas with wild populations of the same species and with minimal human presence. Many of CIMWI’s releases are done from the CONDOR Express at Santa Cruz Island.
A recent whale watching adventure aboard the Condor Express had two special guests. CIMWI-11-005ZC-004 and CIMWI-11-009-ZC-005 were two year old California sea lions that were found on the beach in Ventura County. When they arrived at CIMWI about a month prior to their adventure on the Condor Express, they were under weight and each had an infected bite wound that may have been inflicted by adult male sea lions on the breeding grounds. Sometimes juvenile animals stumble into the territory of a “beach master,” or bull sea lion, and may be bitten as a warning to stay out of its breeding territory. While at CIMWI, each patient gained about 10 pounds in weight and received wound care. The reason these two were on board the Condor Express was that they were being released back into the wild near a favorite area of Santa Cruz Island frequented by many young sea lions. A California Sea Lion takes a look out of its travel container before taking the plunge back home into the ocean.
Sam Dover, DVM, Executive Director and Chief Veterinarian puts it this way: “Our relationship with the Condor Express and Fred Benko has been instrumental in our long term success.” Fred Benko is the owner of the Condor Express, and is one of the licensed captains that operate the vessel. Fred in on the Board of Directors of CIMWI. page 2
CONDOR SCIENCE NEWS
PERRY, 2011
UPWELLING AND OCEAN PRODUCTIVITY 101 Bob Perry - Malibu High School, and UCLA OceanGLOBE
Plants require fertilizer (nitrates, phosphates, and other nutrients) whether they grow on land or in the ocean. The “problem” for plants in the ocean (phytoplankton) is that the sun is only strong enough near the surface, yet most of the fertilizer is found on the deep, dark sea floor.
herbivorous zooplankton. Small zooplankton are consumed by larger zooplankton and other organisms. During the late Spring, Summer and early Fall, the giant baleen whales come to our area to feed on one very abundant species of large zooplankton: krill.
That’s where the importance of upwelling is realized. Upwelling is defined as a vertical movement of water directed upward (towards the surface). Upwelling occurs on the open sea anytime water masses diverge, even slightly, as is observed along the eastern equatorial regions of the Pacific. Along coastal regions upwelling is caused by wind driven surface currents that move water away from land or across submerged banks and seamounts.
This helps explain why the Condor Express often takes whale watchers to these regions to see target species.
In regions of upwelling, fertilizers are transported back to the illuminated surface where phytoplankton blooms form the base of a rich and diverse food chain. Increased plant abundance means food for
The diagram above shows prevailing winds from the northwest which generate surface currents that travel towards San Miguel, Santa Rosa and western Santa Cruz Island. The shelf on the north side of these islands is about 5 miles wide and 100 fathoms on top. Currents moving up the slope drag fertilizers from the basin up to the illuminated surface waters and promote plant productivity. All this leads to feeding whales and happy whale watchers.
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Free mug offer expires September 1, 2011
GET MUGGED* *mugged = term used by professional whale watchers to describe a friendly, very close approach by whales.
Join the crew of the Condor Express with your very own “low rider� insulated, break-resistant plastic mug. Great for hot and cold beverages, soup, chili and chowder, the Crew Mug has a wide base and non-skid bottom. A spill-resistant lid snaps into place. In addition to all of these practical benefits, the Crew Mug is guaranteed to make you look like a professional that has been around a whale or two in your day. Official Disclaimer: The mammals depicted inside the Crew Mug are not real and the Condor Express does not advocate consuming marine mammals in or out of the mug. page 4
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PRIMARY TARGET TARGET SPECIES: SPECIES: LATE LATE SUMMER SUMMER 2011 2011 PRIMARY Balaenoptera musculus musculus the the Blue Blue Whale Whale !! Balaenoptera
http://www.condorexpressphotos.com/Other/2011-07-18-SB-Channel/
Length and Weight: The longest blue whale ever recorded was a 108-foot adult female caught during whaling efforts in Antarctica! In modern times, blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere reach lengths of 90-100 feet , but their Northern Hemisphere counterparts are smaller, on average 75 to 80 feet (23 to 24.5 m). Blue whales can weigh over 100 tons (99,800 kg). Females are larger than males of the same age, the largest perhaps weighing as much as 150 tons (136,000 kg). Feeding: The blue whale is thought to feed almost exclusively on small, shrimp-like creatures called euphausiids or krill. During the summer feeding season the blue whale gorges itself, consuming an astounding 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) or more each day. This means it may eat up to 40 million krill a day. Mating and Breeding: Recent research indicates that blue whales reach sexual maturity between the ages of 6-10 years, or when males average about 74 feet (23 m) and females are about 79 feet (24 m). Calves are born at intervals of 2 to 3 years and gestation is about 12 months. Calves are 23 to 27 feet (7-8.2 m) long at birth and 3 tons (2,722 kg). Calves nurse for 7 to 8 months and are weaned when they reach 52 feet (16 m) in length. At that time they weigh about 23 tons (20,900 kg). During the nursing period, calves consume 100 gallons (379 liters) of the fat-rich mother's milk each day, gain 200 pounds a day, or 8 pounds an hour, and grow 1 and 1/2 inches in length a day. Distribution and Migration: Blue whales may be found in all oceans of the world. They migrate to tropical-totemperate waters during winter months to mate and give birth to calves. They can feed throughout their range, in polar, temperate, or even tropical waters.
Š2003 Uko Gorter
(Information courtesy of the American Cetacean Society: http://www.acsonline.org)
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