NGOS News Archive: 2005

Early May, 2005

Sattelite tag on AJ21

The Aleutian Islands are a dynamic, productive and challenging environment. There was ample evidence of this during our continuing work on the transient killer whales of False Pass and the eastern Aleutians in May 2005. We flew from the sunshine and 60 degree temperatures of Homer Alaska south a thousand miles to 33 degree air temperatures and similar water temperatures accompanied by wind and waves that chilled the bones. It is the cold, cold upwelling water of the Aleutians that drives these low air temperatures. However, the whales were there, finely adapted to the cold water and we were with them…. whenever the windy weather permitted. Large numbers of transient killer whales are attracted by the migration of grey whales, particularly the calves that are escorted by their mothers for their first trip north into the rich feeding grounds of the Bering Sea. We identified nearly 70 different individual transient killer whales, nearly all were animals that we had seen in previous years in this same area. We are starting to get familiar with a number of matrilines (females and their offspring) that spend most o their time in this area at this time of year. Its great to see familiar fins and see the addition of new calves to these groups. Keeping track of these births as well as of animals that go missing and die will help us to judge the health of this population. We call this population the Eastern Aleutian Transients (EAT)-no pun intended!!. We are also here to determine what the impact these whales have on their prey. Are they responsible for the decline of sea otters and Steller sea lions in this area? What is the impact on the grey whale population which was growing for many years but now seems to have stabilized at about 25,000 animals (with annual fluctuations)? As we get a better picture of the predation rates on grey whales and the number of killer whales that are actually depending on grey whales during the spring months it is clear that a substantial number of grey whale calves are consumed, possibly a third of the annual calf production or more. At a minimum this provides 10% of the annual caloric requirements for the 70+ killer whales that are found here in May and June.

AJ21 movments day by day

The impact of these EAT killer whales on other prey populations is not so easily figured. We have seen no predation on sea otters in this region, and only limited predation on Steller sea lions during the summer months. Fur seals seem to be the most important prey when the grey whales are not available. The EAT whales disperse to some extent after the grey whale migration ends, although some stay in the area. We are developing satellite tagging techniques so that we can follow these whales at other times of the year. In fact, this development of tagging techniques is becoming a major part of our research effort. It is difficult to develop a tag that can be attached to a killer whale without capturing the whale and to design that will stay attached for months and also not cause any serious injury or discomfort for the whale. We have thus far only managed to attach tags that stay with the whale for about a week. Our efforts at developing non-invasive tags will continue this fall and winter. A much-delayed field update from Kenai Fjords, Prince William Sound and beyond …

Late May 2005, Kenai Fjords

Our killer whale year started as usual in Resurrection Bay, with AD5 and AK pods hunting for king salmon in Agnes Bay, Pony Cove and Porcupine Cove. While Craig and Eva spent the first two weeks of May in False Pass, Lori Mazzuca and Jamie Thomton, from the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, covered Kenai Fjords aboard the Natoa. Unlike previous years, the local whales entertained few visiting pods with the exception of the AYs during one encounter. A highlight, however, was the surprise appearance of offshore killer whales. Offshores are a third genetic type of killer whale about which little is known. They travel great distances (i.e., animals photographed off California have been seen in the Bering Sea) in very large groups that don't appear to have the cohesive family structure of resident pods.
The male dorsal fins are not as tall as those of residents or transients. Their diet isn't well known but appears to be focused on fish or sharks. Jamie and Lori were having breakfast early one morning in Agnes Cove when they noticed killer whales entering the bay. The AD5 pod had been in the bay the previous night, so they assumed it was them and dropped the hydrophone to enjoy a breakfast concert. After a few minutes, Lori and Jamie realized that they were not hearing AD5 calls; in fact, the strange calls they heard were completely unfamiliar. They pulled the anchor, approached the whales for photographs and realized they were in the presence of a group of offshores. Lori recognized some from photos takes the previous year. The whales were resting and Lori recorded the unique calls they emit during this behavior, reverberating off the steep rock walls of Agnes Bay.

Mid-June 2005

As usual, killer whale sighting dropped off in mid-June in Kenai Fjords as the king salmon run along the shorelines declined. Eva, Jamie and NGOS board member Kyra Riley decided to travel over to Prince William Sound on large rolling seas for a 12 day trip. While killer whales were scarce in the Sound, humpback whales were abundant and seemed surface wherever we stopped the boat. We photo-identified at least thirty different individuals, including feeding groups of 6-8 whales surfacing together. Finally, one morning, friends camped at the south end of Squire Island reported killer whales in Knight Island Passage. It was the AE pod, twenty resident killer whales, feeding on salmon as they traveled into Montague Strait. AE pod is the only pod that appears to reside solely in Prince William Sound. We were sad to see that AE1, the oldest male in the pod, was missing. We called AE1 Jack Evanof, and he was also known as Captain Hook, because he had a partially bent over dorsal fin that made him easily identifiable to many mariners. He was over 40 years old. When the whales killed salmon, we were able to retrieve scales floating in the water with a long-handled dip-net. These scales will be sent to a laboratory for species identification. The whales hunted salmon intensely for the entire encounter, and when we left them, they were heading toward the Gulf of Alaska down Montague Strait.

AT109 spyhoping

A call from Lori in Seward alerted us to the presence of transient killer whales in Kenai Fjords, so we cut our time in the Sound short to try to intercept them. On our way there, various boats kept us informed of the whales' whereabouts, but we were way-laid by three other transients, AT 9, 10 and 18, part of the endangered AT1 transient population, which frequents Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound. Only eight whales remain of this isolated group, which numbered 22 at the beginning of our study. This past winter, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the population as depleted. We aren't sure of the cause for their decline, but it accelerated after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Moreover, harbor seals, one of the AT1 transients' primary prey, have declined dramatically over the past two decades, and analysis of biopsy samples indicates that these whales (along with other transients) have high levels of PCPs and DDTs in their blubber. This past winter, we testified against the establishment of a commercial, floating fuel facility in Herring Bay in Prince William Sound, in the heart of the AT1 transients' historical foraging area. Together with the outcry of many mariners, charter boat operators, and Prince William Sound residents, the project was stopped.

 

Killer whale predating on a Steller sea lion

We took identification photos of the AT1 transients and then received a call that other transients were attacking a Steller sea lion in Emerald Cove, just a few miles away. We rushed over in time to see the whales batting a juvenile sea lion into the air. The three whales were Matushka (AT 109), Natasha (AT 111) and her three year old calf, Katya. Katya was intensely involved in the attack, slapping at the sea lion with her flukes. When a calf is present, transient killer whales often subdue their prey so the young one can practice hunting skills. Sometimes they injure or kill sea birds or sea otters without consuming them, just so calves can become adept at the dangerous task of killing large prey. In fact, the next day, we watched Katkya kill a common murre by slamming it with her flukes. These three whales are part of a transient killer whale population that is distinct from the AT 1 transients mentioned previously. We call them the Gulf of Alaska transients, and some of these whales, which number about fifty but are very seldom observed, appear to specialize on hunting Steller sea lions at rookeries at certain times of the year. Little is known, however, of the overall diet of these whales because they are elusive, secretive, wary of boats, and thus difficult to follow. Some Gulf of Alaska transients are seen only once in five to ten years. Every encounter, therefore, is truly an exciting chance to learn something new. Our last day with Matushka, Natasha and Katya, they traveled out into the Gulf after making a pass at the Emerald Cove sea lion haul-out. They traveled toward Prince William Sound, and we accompanied them for about thirty miles as they moved along the rugged and exposed coastline. They turned in to another sea lion haul-out but no attacks were initiated and we left the whales as they continued on over the horizon. As of August 15, the time of this posting, they haven't been seen again.

Mid-July 2005

While Craig made his third trip to the Aleutian Islands, Eva set out for Prince William Sound again on Natoa with long-time supporter and field assistant David Grimes and his friend Margie. David is a past board member and assists on the boat each summer. David had just disembarked from a cruise in northern Prince William Sound celebrating the establishment of the new Prince William Sound Keeper. Keeper organizations monitor water quality in sensitive habitats using a small staff and volunteers. The Kachemak Bay Keeper in Homer is one very effective example. This group will be another aid in protecting the environment that marine mammals in Prince William Sound depend upon.

Once again, we found many humpback whales in the Sound. This time, however, the whales' prey appeared to be congregated at depth. No matter where we observed humpbacks on our six day trip, they were diving for 9-12 minutes. AE pod visited Montague Strait again and we confirmed that AE1 was indeed absent. We followed the whales toward the open ocean, hoping that they might join up with others, but they didn't.

14 August 2005, Agnes Bay

We've just returned from two weeks in Prince William Sound after tour boat operators in Kenai Fjords reported a large group of killer whales visiting the area in the last few days. So far today, the whales haven't been spotted, so it's time to recount the highlights of the our last trip on the Natoa.

Craig and Eva, accompanied by Alaskan writer Charles Wolforth, headed out to the Sound early on the morning of August 1st, anticipating the annual "superpod" gathering of resident killer whales that often occurs at that time. Unfortunately, nature had other plans, and an uncommonly strong storm took hold of the Sound for several days and kept us in sheltered waters. Rain, wind and low clouds made spotting difficult, especially in the more exposed areas where we usually see killer whales. We had the opportunity to fish, pick blueberries, and visit old friends. After five days, the weather broke and we immediately found AI pod milling near a group of feeding humpback whales off Hanning Bay in Montague Strait. This is a "hot-spot" for humpbacks at certain times of the year, and before we spotted the killer whales, we photographed the flukes of 13 humpbacks, including three cow-calf pairs. Then the AIs caught our attention. AI pod is the smallest of our resident groups. It's a single maternal group that broke away from AB pod in the early 1980's. The pod consists of three adult males, Hawkins, Montague and Huck Finn, and their sister Athena and her two offspring, Junken, age 11, and two-year old calf, Aialik. We were sad to see that the matriarch of the group, who was at least 55 years old, had died over the winter. She was the mother of the four adult whales in the pod. The AIs milled quietly in the area all afternoon. In fact, we had the sense that they might be waiting for other whales, but no one turned up that day.

Two days later, fog began to develop in the Gulf and the Sound. We dropped our hydrophone in Montague Strait and heard distant killer whale calls that got gradually louder. They were too intermittent, however, to be able to make effective use of our directional hydrophone dish, and the fog prevented us from being able to see more than a half a mile. How to find the whales? After roaming around finding our way with radar, we finally spotted dorsal fins to the north as the fog cleared. We were very excited to see that it was AB pod. AB pod is one of our most well-known pods. They were involved with longline fishing interactions in the 1980's and lost 14 animals after the Exxon Valdez oil spill (declining from 36 to 22 whales). One sub-group of the pod split off and now travels separately. We have been closely monitoring this pod for signs of recovery in the 16 years since the spill. Unfortunately, they lost a significant number of breeding females at that time. We counted 18 whales in the main pod last week, with no new calves. The fate of AB pod has taught us that impacts of oil spills on killer whales can be long-lasting. Some other oil-impacted species in the Sound are not yet recovering as well, and researchers from the Auke Bay Laboratory in Juneau are still finding oil releasing toxins on beaches. We followed AB pod north into the evening. It was the first of many days to come that would challenge us with thick fog banks.

The next day, we headed into Hinchinbrook Entrance, where a resident killer whale super-pod occurred last August. Fog kept us on the western side of the Entrance for most of the day, where we followed a humpback whale feeding in Zaikof Bay. In the evening, we crossed over into the thick fog to pay a visit to our friends Jerry and Su, who care-take Nucheck, a Chugach Native cultural camp built on the sight of what was once an important village at the time of Russian occupation of the Sound. From their cabin windows, Jerry and Su watch killer whales and humpback whales regularly and report their sightings to us. Each summer, a "spirit camp" is held for nearly 200 children. They learn traditional ways, language, crafts and skills from elders. This year, Jerry and Su were able to play recordings of killer whales for the elders.

We headed out in the morning back across the Entrance, again looking for less fog-bound waters. A radio call from our friend Dean Rand on his tour boat Discovery alerted us to the presence of a group of killer whales back in Montague Strait. Once again, thick fog hindered our sighting ability. It was, as mariners say, "down on the decks." In the late afternoon, the fog cleared and we spotted the whales to the north. The whales were heading north when we found them, but quickly changed direction and started heading back to the Needle, a sea lion haul-out where the Discovery first spotted them earlier in the day. Their steady traveling behavior abruptly ceased when they joined AK pod and then AI pod. A fracas of leaping calves signaled the reunion of pods that hadn't seen each other in many days. What followed was over 24 hours of nearly continuous social activity. Calves left their mothers' sides and joined each other in wild play groups. They chased each other, rolled over each other's backs, breached and charged behind the research vessel. Adult males roamed, temporarily joining play groups. Sexual activity among males, adults as well as juveniles, appears to be an important part of resident killer whale social behavior. We marveled at the energy of the calves; they never seemed to tire, despite their acrobatics. At sunset, we tired, anchored up in Sleepy Bay, and listened to the whales' wild calls on the hydrophone as they passed our cove.

The next morning, the whales were back, still socializing. We followed them into the fog, temporarily losing them, finding them when the fog momentarily lifted. They again headed north, the adults traveling calmly along while the calves cavorted with each other, heading north. Pods were still mixed, with offspring traveling separately from their mothers, aunts and uncles. The next morning, we woke again to heavy fog, but it seemed less thick, so we headed out into the Strait. Along the shore of Green Island, we floated with the hydrophone down but heard nothing. Had the super-pod finally dispersed? A radio call from a small boat lost in the fog reported some killer whales. They asked us to check their GPS reading and confirm their location. They were less than a mile away and soon emerged from the fog bank into the sunshine, much to their relief. We headed into it and encountered two of the pods, AI and AK resting, apparently finally tired out from their social gathering. A day later, they headed south down Elrington Passage out into the Gulf of Alaska toward Seward. They hunted for silver salmon as they traveled and stopped to let the calves play in a kelp bed before resuming their journey. Were they traveling to meet the whales reported to us in Kenai Fjords? We are hoping to find out, but we still haven't found those killer whales. The tour boats report that they were seen several miles offshore recently. Large schools of silver salmon are still gathering in the Gulf. Even though the silver salmon derby is in full-swing and this favorite killer whale food is abundant inshore, apparently the whales are finding plenty out in the open sea to keep them busy. Eventually, the killer whales will follow the runs in.

Read the past news updates for 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.