Saving Seafood

Critical habitat for killer whales extended south along California coast

August 6, 2021 — The Biden administration extended critical habitat designations for the highly endangered Southern Resident orca population, to cover nearly 16,000 square miles of Pacific waters from Washington south to Point Sur, Calif.

The whales currently have had critical habitat protected in the inland waters of Washington state, where the Southern orca population of just 75 animals is highly dependent on chinook salmon – stocks that themselves are in danger from habitat loss and pollution in the region.

A final order from NMFS, published in the Aug. 2 Federal Register and taking effect Sept.1, maintains the Puget Sound protected region and extends the critical habitat designation out to the 200-meter (656-foot) sea floor contour.

“This revision is based on over a decade of research that improved our knowledge of Southern Resident killer whales’ geographic range, diet, and habitat needs, including their movements up and down the West Coast,” according to a NMFS announcement.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

JESSICA HATHAWAY: Bad bait: Right whale group gets it wrong

August 6, 2021 — Can a marine animal rights group do its best work from the side of the highway? One thing that’s sure is Mainers Guarding Right Whales’ new billboard campaign is garnering some attention this week. The downside is that the spotlight is coming with a big helping of side eye.

The campaign is aimed at tourists heading to Maine, ostensibly to inform them that “lobster dinners at seaside harbors come at a steep price to North Atlantic right whales,” according to the organization. The Maine-based group posted roadside signs in Massachusetts to launch the campaign, because billboards are not legal in Maine. It also recommends buying lobster from divers, which also is not legal in the state.

Once again, the target of a group proclaiming a goal of “guarding” the dwindling North Atlantic Right Whale population zeroes in on Maine lobstermen for no apparent reason.

Read the full opinion piece at National Fisherman

New buoy could help scientists protect whales from wind farm construction off the coast of Ocean City

August 5, 2021 — Each day, they appear as colorful blips on a black graph. The dispatches from a new buoy 23 miles off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, could be nothing more than noise from passing ships or rough waves. But they could be whales.

It’s up to researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to tell the difference.

In groups of three, the small sound waves might be sei whales. A symphonic pattern of notes could be humpbacks — the “songbirds of the sea,” said Amber Fandel, a faculty research assistant with the center’s Chesapeake Biological Laboratory.

The buoy’s algorithm, developed by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, often thinks it’s discovered passing baleens. But the discerning eye of a researcher knows best. The hydrophone aboard the bright yellow and blue buoy, with brethren up and down the East Coast, hasn’t tracked a whale since it was plopped in the water in late May, though some are expected as the fall draws closer, Fandel said.

Lately, the scientists’ work has taken on fresh urgency. The buoy is located in the 80,000-acre lease area carved out for the MarWin wind farm. Construction on the win farm is likely to start sometime in 2024, officials said, and could present dangers to marine mammals.

Read the full story at The Baltimore Sun

Monterey Bay and parts of Big Sur added to expanded killer whale protection

August 4, 2021 — The federal government Monday expanded its critical habitat area for the endangered southern killer whale population that now includes all of Monterey Bay and a portion of the waters off the Big Sur coast.

The new critical habitat designation also added a large portion of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary down to Point Sur, about 25 miles south of Monterey. The new designation takes effect on Sept. 1.

The demise of what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, calls the Southern Resident population of killer whales is the result of a number of factors, including the lack of its primary food source: chinook salmon

Read the full story at Mercury News

Higher Vessel Speeds Offset Salmon Abundance for Endangered Orcas, Reducing Chance of Catching Prey

August 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Increased abundance of salmon in the inland waters of the Salish Sea increased the odds of endangered Southern Resident killer whales capturing salmon as prey, but increased speeds of nearby boats did just the opposite, according to new research findings.

The research was led by NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center. It found that the orcas descended more slowly, and took longer dives to capture prey, when nearby boats had navigational sonar switched on. The sonar from private and commercial vessels directly overlaps the main sound frequencies the whales use to hunt. This may mask the whales’ signals and force them to expend more energy to catch prey.

“That suggests that it may prolong their effort to dive in search of prey, which like all marine mammals they have to do on a breath hold—so they can stay underwater only so long,” said Marla Holt, research wildlife biologist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and lead author of the new research. Researchers used suction-cup tags that record whale movements and sound to track and analyze their behavior and use of sound to hunt.

Earlier research found that the faster nearby vessels traveled, the greater noise the endangered killer whales experienced. That could help explain why higher speeds of nearby vessels were associated with reduced odds of the whales capturing prey. Faster vessels might also seem more unpredictable to the whales, possibly distracting them as they close in on prey, Holt said.

“Consequences of reduced food intake include negative impacts on the whales’ ability to meet their energetic requirements to support key life functions, including growth and reproduction,” the scientists wrote in the new research paper published in the journal Marine Environmental Research.

Read the full release here

More endangered right whales using New England wind energy areas

August 4, 2021 — North Atlantic right whales, one of the most endangered species in the world, are spending more time in southern New England waters where immense offshore wind energy installations are to be built.

A new analysis, published in the July 29 edition of the journal Endangered Species Research, shows how measures to protect the whale population – estimated at only around 366 animals – will be crucial if the Biden administration’s drive to develop offshore wind is to succeed.

“We found that right whale use of the region increased during the last decade, and since 2017 whales have been sighted there nearly every month, with large aggregations occurring during the winter and spring,” said Tim Cole, lead of the whale aerial survey team at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a co-author of the study, in a summary of the findings issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Marine mammal researchers at the New England Aquarium and colleagues at NEFSC and the Center for Coastal Studies examined aerial survey data collected between 2011–2015 and 2017–2019 to quantify right whale distribution, residency, demographics, and movements in the region.

The New England Aquarium used systematic aerial surveys, and NEFSC and the Center for Coastal Studies directed surveys conducted in areas where right whales were present, to document aggregations of right whales. Aerial photographs of individual right whales to help estimate the whales’ abundance and residency times, and the photos identify individual whales by distinctive patches of raised tissue on their head, lips, and chin, and by scars on their body.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

New ‘slow zone’ to protect rare whales off Massachusetts

August 4, 2021 — The federal government has announced a new voluntary speed restriction zone to try to protect rare whales off the Massachusetts coast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the new “slow zone” is located southeast of Nantucket and began on Aug. 1. It’s in effect through Aug. 16.

The zone is designed to protect North Atlantic right whales, which number only about 360.

The agency is asking mariners to route around the area entirely or transit through it at 10 knots (11.5 miles per hour) or less.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Daily Times

Nonprofit launches “Is your lobster whale-safe?” campaign

August 3, 2021 — Nonprofit organization Mainers Guarding Right Whales has launched a campaign featuring advertisements and a billboard that asks “Is your lobster whale-safe?”

The billboard is located along roadways in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and is targeted at travelers heading into the nearby state of Maine (billboards along roadways are banned in Maine). The billboard, according to the organization, is intended to inform travelers that “lobster dinners at seaside harbors come at a steep price to North Atlantic right whales.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New Slow Zone Southeast of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

August 3, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new voluntary right whale Slow Zone.  On August 1, 2021, our aerial survey team sighted the presence of right whales southeast of Nantucket, MA.  The Slow Zone is in effect immediately through August 16, 2021.  Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

VOLUNTARY Right whale “SLOW Zone”  

Mariners are requested to avoid or transit at 10 knots or less inside the following areas where persistent aggregations of right whales have been detected.  Please visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike for more information.

Slow Zone Coordinates:

Southeast of Nantucket Island, MA

41 01 N
40 21 N
069 00 W
069 52 W

Give Right Whales Room

North Atlantic right whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. NOAA is cautioning boaters and fishermen to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking all fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales and remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements. Commercial fishermen should use vertical lines with required markings, weak links, and breaking strengths.

Right Whales in Trouble

North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Scientists estimate there are only about 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.

North Atlantic right whales are NOAA Fisheries’ newest Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save marine species that are among the most at risk of extinction in the near future. 

In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.

More Information

Recent right whale sightings

Find out more about our right whale conservation efforts and the researchers behind those efforts.

Download the Whale Alert app for iPad and iPhone

Acoustic detections in Cape Cod Bay and the Boston TSS, as well as other regions along the eastern seaboard.

Details and graphics of all vessel strike management zones currently in effect.

Reminder: Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law.

Spread the Word!

All boaters, or interested parties, can sign up for email notifications  and selecting “Right Whale Slow Zones” under the Regional New England/Mid-Atlantic subscription topics. You can also follow us on Facebook (@NOAAFisheriesNEMA) and Twitter (@NOAAFish_GARFO) for announcements.

Watch our video on Right Whale Slow Zones.

Recent Feature Stories about Right Whales

Listening for Right Whales in the Gulf of Maine

Make Way for Right Whales

10 Things You Should Know About Right Whales

Questions?

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

Expanded Critical Habitat Signals Much of West Coast Contributes to Recovery of Endangered Killer Whales

August 2, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today we announced that we are expanding designated critical habitat for endangered Southern Resident killer whales. They will now include most coastal waters from Washington to Monterey Bay in California—formerly they encompassed only most of the inland waters of Washington. This designation encompasses waters where we now know that the Southern Residents hunt for salmon from West Coast Rivers and other marine species.

We appreciate the nearly 2,000 comments on our proposal to expand the designated critical habitat. The Endangered Species Act defines critical habitat as areas with “physical or biological features essential to conservation of the species” that may need special protection.

While the expansion of critical habitat recognizes that the whales forage across much of the West Coast, it is unlikely to extensively affect coastal activities, such as fishing. That is because NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which provides recommendations to NOAA Fisheries on fishing seasons and regulations, already consider killer whales and Chinook salmon when setting salmon harvest quotas. NOAA Fisheries is currently taking comments on a proposal from the Council to limit commercial and recreational fishing in certain areas as far south as Monterey Bay in California in years when salmon returns are expected to be low.

NOAA Fisheries completed a biological opinion on the operation of dams on the Columbia and Snake River in 2020. It considered the potential impacts on Southern Residents and their prey since they have long been known to feed on Columbia and Snake River salmon. The opinion found that hatchery salmon more than make up for any reduction in salmon numbers related to the operation of the dams.

Recent research based on the DNA signatures of West Coast salmon stocks showed that killer whales prey on salmon from a diversity of West Coast Rivers. They span as far south as the Sacramento River and north to Canada and Alaska. Recovery actions for killer whales include:

  • Release of additional hatchery fish to supplement their prey
  • Extensive habitat restoration to improve natural production of salmon in the longer term

The designation of critical habitat provides an extra layer of protection when a federal agency takes an action that could impact the critical habitat of the whales. It also sends the message that everyone on the West Coast has a role to play in supporting the whales’ recovery.

“While the Southern Residents may be best known in the Pacific Northwest, the whole West Coast can contribute to recovery of the whales and the salmon that they rely on,” said Lynne Barre, recovery coordinator for the Southern Residents. “Regardless of where they are foraging, they feed on a mix of salmon from different West Coast rivers. That means the way we all use water, the way we protect habitat, how we handle our storm runoff—it all makes a difference.”

The newly designated critical habitat includes coastal waters from 6.1 to 200 meters deep with three essential physical and biological features:

  • Water quality to support growth and development
  • Prey species of sufficient quantity, quality, and availability to support individual growth, reproduction, and development, as well as overall population growth
  • Passage conditions to allow for migration, resting, and foraging

There was one notable change from the coastal critical habitat NOAA Fisheries originally proposed in November 2019. This was changed to reduce the excluded buffer area around the excluded Quinault Range Site, which is used by the Navy for various training and testing activities in support of military readiness. The final designation also includes a biological explanation of how human-induced noise impacts the conservation value of the designated critical habitat for endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

Read the full release here