HARBOUR PORPOISES:

Weir Release News
The Harbour Porpoise Release Program has been in operation since 1991 and works co-operatively with local weir operators.  Herring weirs are ingenious fish traps usually fixed to the bottom and constructed of stakes and netting, positioned to corral herring as they move along shorelines. 

Summary of harbour porpoises in weirs in 2000.
There were relatively few porpoise entrapments in Grand Manan herring weirs last year.  We recorded only 17 porpoises in weirs, making 2000 the quietest year for porpoises since 1996 (a year when there were only 6 porpoises in local weirs).  Four additional porpoises were released by fishermen after the release team had left in September for a total of 21. For comparison, in 1999 we observed 76 porpoises in weirs, and we were able to help release 94% of them successfully. 

In 2000, four porpoises swam out on their own overnight.  We helped release 13 of the remaining porpoises.  All were released alive, the first year we have been completely successful.  Our normal release success is over 90%.  The 21 porpoises showed up in only 6 weirs, a pattern we observed in 1999 as well (48 porpoises released from only 6 weirs).  No porpoises were trapped in a Whale Cove weir (the first year for this), suggesting the distribution of animals changes annually.  We did release 4 porpoises from a weir on White Head Island.

There was one entrapped minke whale that we know of in 2000, and it was seined out with the mammal seine (a large mesh seine) on July 5th.

Data collected from porpoises in 2000. 
Of the 13 porpoises we released, we were able to collect sex and body size data for 12.  We released 8 females and 4 males.  Most of the porpoises we released were juveniles (1-3 years old), and only one of them was an adult:  a female with her calf.  This mother/calf pair repre-sented the smallest (calf was 113 cm long) and largest (the mother was 157 cm long and weighed 61 kg) porpoises of the season.  Typically we see a few mature males in weirs each summer, but none of the males we released this year were large enough to be adults.

Health of the local porpoise population. 
As part of a long-term study monitoring the general health of this porpoise population, we collected blood samples from 7 individuals.  These blood samples undergo two types of analyses.  First, part of the blood is sent immediately to St. John, where the different types of blood cells are counted and levels of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin are measured.  Later each fall the remainder of the blood, which is frozen, is sent to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario for chemistry analyses (enzyme activities, levels of different salts, proteins, hor-mones, etc.).  From these data we are building a baseline picture of blood values for the average wild porpoise, and we have collected enough samples to know when the values from a particular porpoise are unusual.  From the data we have obtained so far (samples from over 100 porpoises since 1993) it appears that the porpoises around Grand Manan are generally in good health, with little evidence of infections or other diseases.  In addition we have used blood hormone levels to determine that most adult female porpoises are pregnant in the summer. 

Improving our methods for release. 
One of our goals is to improve our methods for release so that the process is easier for everyone (fishermen, researchers and porpoises!).   One way to greatly increase our chances of releasing porpoises alive is to seine them out with the mammal seine (the seine made of dragger twine, also known as the “predator net”).  This summer saw increased use of the mammal seine (5 out of the 7 seines for porpoises) compared to previous years.  We had always known that use of the mammal seine tended to result in a greater number of successful releases, but didn’t know until this year exactly how effective this net is.  We have now analysed the past 9 years of seining data and in that time we have never had a porpoise die when seining with the mammal seine.  Porpoise mortality is likely reduced because the seine is lighter, it is easier to see, and there are no herring schools present to confuse the porpoises.  We are very pleased with the performance of this net and would like to encourage its use whenever possible in the future.

Each year we also try to reduce the amount of stress porpoises undergo during the release process.  For the past few years we have been videotaping every seine to monitor the behaviour of animals in the water and in the boat.  We use these tapes to evaluate our performance, as well as each porpoise’s breathing rates and reactions.  We also monitor their heart rates (another indicator of stress) with a monitor that is typically used by training athletes. 

Satellite tags.
This year we deployed satellite tags on two porpoises. When these tags are at the surface (i.e. when the porpoise breathes) they transmit information to orbiting satellites, allowing the position of the animal to be calculated.  These data are then transmitted to a ground station and we are able to access the positions via computer downloads.  These tags allow us to remotely track the movements of porpoises between 6 months and a year.  The porpoises we put electronic tags on are listed in the table below (we name each one).  The tracks are included in the figure.  Her track extended into the Gulf of Maine before she returned to the Bay of Fundy. (Map courtesy of WhaleNet,  Wheelock College.)
 

Follow the porpoises on the Web. 
Those of you with internet access can look at the movements of these porpoises via the Web.  Wheelock College (Massachu-setts) has the tracking maps and data archived on their web site (http://whale.wheelock.edu).   With their grant money, Wheelock College donated elec-tronic tags to us and to other researchers and we provided them with the data we collected. 

Our new boat.
In 2000 a generous donation from the International Fund for Animal Welfare allowed us to acquire a new boat that we use for checking weirs each morning and for other porpoise research. The new boat is 20’, navy blue, and is called “Phocoena” (the Latin name for porpoise).  As with our other boats, she was made in a boatyard in Lower Wedgeport, Nova Scotia.  We have been extremely happy with the construction and performance of these boats, and are pleased to welcome this new one into the fleet! 

Proposed work 2001. 
The Harbour Porpoise Release Program will start its eleventh season funded entirely through donations and grants from conservation organizations, with some corpor-ate sponsorship.  Each year we re-apply to four or five organizations in order to raise enough funds to run the program for the summer. *****So far in 2001 we have well exceeded our funds for releasing porpoises and have had to apply for emergency funding.  We have had more entrapped porpoises in July 2001 than ever before.  Traditionally August is the busiest for us.******

Porpoises and Gillnets.
One of our PhD. Students, Tara Cox, again spent the summer of 2000 working with a local gillnetter.  He kindly allowed her to attach porpoise echolocation detectors to his nets (devices that record porpoise sounds). From these data, she hopes to determine how porpoises detect gillnets that are set on the bottom.  By learning more about porpoise acoustic behaviour, managers may be able to develop better gillnets to reduce  porpoise entanglement. 

Educational Material
We were able to develop a manual, flashcard and slide show describing our techniques for the safe release of harbour porpoises from funds received through the Fundy Community Foundation in St. Andrews.  During the summer of 2001 these will be distributed to weir operators, community groups and other interested parties in the Fundy area and will be helpful if we are unable to assist in the release of porpoises in other areas of the Bay of Fundy.

RIGHT WHALES

Right Whale Notes
An opportunistic data base of numbers, locations and photo-graphs of marine mammal, seabird, basking shark and other sightings are collected annually by Laurie while acting as a whale watch naturalist with Grand Manan SeaLand  Adventures. Right whales in 2000 again began arriving in early June (perhaps late May) and by mid June the numbers were 30-50 in the Bay each day. Between 150 to 200 have been identified in the Bay of Fundy.  The last right whales were seen in early December. 

In 2000 only one calf  was identified - an all-time low number!  This was born to a non-Bay of Fundy mother and for the third year no calves were seen in the Bay of Fundy.  When aerial surveys began in December of 2000, signs were good for a much better calving year in 2001 since whales were seen almost immediately.  A total of thirty mother-calf pairs were identified by the end of the calving period, 29 in Florida/Georgia waters and one in South Carolina.  Four calves have been reported dead, two from ship strikes and two from unknown causes (the latter two carcasses were not recovered but seen by aerial surveillance). Eleven of the females giving birth in 2001 are new mothers, the oldest 21 years, the youngest ten years.  There are three females and their daughters that are all mothers this year, plus a grandmother, mother and daughter trio that  all have calves.  While the number of calves is certainly encouraging, there is still a long way to go before right whales begin showing an increase in the population.  The calving interval from 1980-1992 was 3.67 years between calves.  From 1997-2000 that average interval increased to 5.3 years. The years between calves for this year range from four to ten years with a mean of 6.2 years.  No one seems to have a good answer why Bay of Fundy mothers are not having calves - one suggestion is a poor food supply. The non-Bay of Fundy mothers seem to be reproducing successfully.

Disentanglement Efforts in 2000 
Disentanglement efforts were necessary although not to the degree of 1999 (see table).  Calvin (#2223) was seen once in August 2000 with a length of rope trailing from both sides of her mouth.  Calvin is the female calf of Delilah, a whale that died in 1992 in the Bay of Fundy and washed ashore on Grand Manan.  Delilah's skeleton is now the centerpiece of the marine mammal gallery of the New Brunswick Museum.  Calvin was not seen again until February 2001 and it was noted that the rope from the right side was now tangled on her left side.  A satellite buoy was attached to the trailing line and she was tracked as she has moved in and out of the lower Gulf of Maine.  The satellite buoy and a length of line were recovered in April 2001. See the plot of Calvin's movements from the time the tag was attached until it was recovered drifting April, 2001. (Map courtesy of the Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA.) 

Note.  In addition four right whales were reported entangled in the Gulf of Maine although two of these may not have been entanglements: #1130 "Zebra" March 1, 2000 Cape Cod Bay (entangled); #1301 Mar. 23,2000 Cape Cod Bay, Dec. 31, 2000 Florida (Presumed not entangled); Right Whale (no identification) April 7, 2000 Cape Cod Bay (Presumed not entangled); #1720 May 31, 2000 Rodgers Basin, June 20, 2000 Cashes Ledge (Minor entanglement).  This list does not include the right whales that were entangled and freed in gill nets off White Head Island in July.

Disentangling large whales from gear requires both experience and a specific suite of equipment.  A grant from Environment Canada Habitat Stewardship Program in 2001 will allow us to purchase our own first responder kit for large whale disentanglement efforts.  We have been using the kit from North Carolina which was graciously loaned to us for the summer.  All disentanglement efforts in North Carolina occur in the winter and spring. 

Recovery Plan
The Recovery Plan for North Atlantic right whales was officially released in September 2001.  Laurie Murison was invited to continue her involvement as part of the Implementation Team which will oversee actions recommended in the Recovery Plan.  A ship strike committee and a fishery committee were both formed in February 2001 as recommended by the Recovery Plan.

Code of Ethics Meeting
Meetings were held in St. Andrews and Digby in June 2000 for Bay of Fundy tour operators to be updated on whale watch issues and re-sign the Code of Ethics for the Bay of Fundy developed four years ago.  It supplements the DFO whale watch regulations which are currently under review.  Meetings will be held again in 2001 on Grand Manan and in St. Andrews.  Additionally, a meeting on June 1 occurred at thee New Brunswick Museum to discuss the formation of a Fundy-wide whale watch association. For a copy of the Code, contact Laurie.

SEABIRDS

During 2000, one of our field assistants, Rob Ronconi, continued a two part study of a black guillemot nesting colony on the northern end of Grand Manan.  He was studying the foraging strategy of adult guillemots and the reaction of the birds to boat traffic. Using a surveying theodolite positioned on a cliff above the colony he could record foraging behaviour and reactions of the birds. 

Rob and Sarah Wong applied for funding to conduct nesting seabird surveys in 2001 and received funding from the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation,  Canad-ian Council for Human Resources in the Environment Industry (CCHREI) - Environmental Youth Corp., Fundy Bird Observatory. Equipment support for the project was also provided by ALERT, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Eastern Charlotte Waterways, Halltech Environmental Outfitters, and Mountain Equipment Co-op.  Rob and Sarah braved the rather chilly weather and began their study on April 17.  The maritimes greeted them with a late snow storm the next day.  With only electric space heaters in the Research Station they were looking forward to warmer weather. 

Brian Dalzell and Laurie Murison collaborated with Dr. Tony Diamond and his students to conduct surveys for razorbills and murres that winter in the Bay of Fundy from December 2000 through February 2001.  This was a combined effort of aerial surveys and censuses from lookouts on Grand Manan and White Head Islands.  The survey was funded through a grant from the Canadian Nature Federation Important Bird Areas and contributions by Dr. Diamond. 

UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS

A long-tailed jaegar was seen for several weeks in the Bay near the island group called the Wolves.  Sei whales were seen traveling with finback whales in an area called Clarks Ground and the Bulkhead - it was a challenge to tell the two apart.  While not unusual it was great to see more humpback whales in the Bay in 2000 than in the previous four or five years.

MUSEUM & GIFT SHOP

VISITORS: Visitor numbers were down but it is hard to compete with the 10,000 in 1999.  In total 861 or 86% compared to 1999. We were open most days from June to Thanksgiving in October.  Although the number of visitors was down to 86%, our sales only decreased to 93% as compared with 1999.  These figures could not have been realized without the assistance of our two museum attendants, Megan and Richie. 

DISPLAYS:  Our museum remains free to the public, although many guests give a small donation.  Door donations were 91% of 1999 (consistent with decreased visitors). Rob Ronconi prepared a poster of his studies of black guillemots which was a great addition to our seabird section.

GASKIN FELLOW

To mark the millennium, to increase our contribution to the young people of Bay of Fundy and to pay tribute to the late Dr. Gaskin we now offer a paid summer internship. Preference is given to (in the following order) residents of Grand Manan, Charlotte County, Bay of Fundy, and maritime provinces.  Based on his work at the Research Station in 1999, Pat Miller, was our first Gaskin Fellow. Richie Morgan, our museum attendant from 2000 will be this year's Gaskin Fellow.  Donations to the Dr. David Gaskin Memorial Fund will be used to fund this position.  Please mark the appropriate box on the enclosed donation form and send to The David Gaskin Memorial Fund.

PERSONNEL IN 2000

DIRECTORS: Ivan Green ,  Heather Koopman, Laurie Murison
GENERAL MANAGER, EDUCATION CO-ORDINATOR: Laurie Murison, M.Sc. 
SENIOR SCIENTIST: Dr. Andy Read Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, NC.
SENIOR RESEARCH BIOLOGISTS: 

• University of Guelph, Guelph, ON: Aleksija Neimanis, M.Sc., Veterinary student, 
• Duke University, Beaufort, NC: Tara Cox, M.Sc., Ph.D. student, Dave Johnston, M.Sc., Ph.D. student, and on staff at the International Marine Mammal Association, Guelph, ON., Heather Koopman, M.Sc., PhD. student, Andrew Westgate, M.Sc. PhD. student 

• Ken Ingersoll, Grand Manan 
• Rob Ronconi, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
• Sarah Wong, B.Sc. McGill

• Brian Dalzell, Grand Manan

• Patrick Miller, Grand Manan

• Megan Greenlaw, Grand Manan
• Richie Morgan, Grand Manan

• Gordon & Wiley Kempton
• Sarah McDonald
• Marion Murison

• International Fund for Animal Welfare "Song of the Whale": Richard McLanaghan, Anna Moscrop, Steve Brown and others, continued studies of right whales and ship noise. Their research may help explain the right whale/ship collision problem.
• University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC: Bill McLellan ,Dr. Ann Pabst and Vicki Stegall
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute: Dr. Doug Nowacek, Danielle Waples, Dee Allen, Nicole, Alex, Jim and others, worked on right whale issues. 

FRIENDS FOR 2000 
If you wish to continue or are not already a Friend please fill in the form. If you know someone who would like to be added to our list, please pass this information along.
 

Dr. Shirley Alcoe, Fredericton, NB Fred and Leda Arensberg, New York, NY James Bates, Sealand Adventures, Grand Manan NB Karen and Gene Brewer, New York, NY Jeanne Brown, Lakefield, ON Mary Lou Campbell, Toronto, ONT Ann Chudleigh, Wakefield, QUE Michael Clark, Dundas, ON Helene Curry, Toronto, ON Brenda Dale, Sherwood Park, AB Eva Dale, Calgary, AB Dr. P. Y. Daoust, Charlottetown, PEI David and Barbara Davey, Nepean, ON Ron & Nina Davies, Amherstburg, ON Cheryl and Clark Davis, Wabush, NF K.G. Davis, Nepean, ON Tracey Dean, Bayside, NB Eastern Charlotte Waterways, St. George, NB Stephanie Eaton, Littleton, NH E.J. Elliott, Waterside, NB Jim Essex, Peterborough, ON Geo. Gallant, Dollard des Ormeaux, QC James & Eleanor Gardiner, Scarborough, ON Grand Manan Divers & Adventures, Grand Manan, NB Ivan Green, Grand Harbour, NB Joan Green, Fredericton, NB Bill & Pam Gudgeon, Burlington, ON Sarah Haney, Bolton, ON Eileen Husted, Victoria, BC Charles Huntington, Harpswell, ME Linda M. Hutchings, Calgary, AB Doug Jackson, Fredericton, NB Charles Jefferson, Ottawa, ON Anne K. Jeffrey, Columbus OH Bill Jones, Atlantic Mariculture, Fredericton, NB Donald and Edith Jones, Amherst, NS Joanne Kinter, Bechtelsville, PA Arnold & Ann Koopman, Campbellville, ON Linda L'Aventure, Grand Manan, NB Marion Leaman, Fredericton, NB Andrea Lebowitz, North Vancouver, BC Roger LeBlanc, Moncton, NB Stephanie Lehman, West Montrose, ON Carol Leslie, Moncton, NB Mark Libby, New Harbor, ME

Jean Loggie, Moncton, NB Ken MacIntosh, Blacks Harbour, NB Kathleen MacNamara, Oakville, ON Lana Mahaits, Windsor, ON Mary Mason, Toronto, ON George Maynard, Peterborough, ON Sandra McFarlane, Halifax, NS Kerstin Mueller, Mulgrave, NS John Mynott, Ottawa, ON Mary T. Neal, Richmond Hill, ON Dr. Ieva Neimanis, Hamilton, ON Ralph Palmer, Tenants Harbor, ME Beverley Parker, Waterdown, ON Peter Pearce, Fredericton, NB Dawn Poole, Aylmer, QC Dr.Yolande Prenoveau, Pierrefonds, QC Robert Righter, Denver, CO Lorna Ritchie, Grand Manan, NB Iva Robinson, White Head Is, NB Bill & Sandy Rogers, Gaithersburg, MD Joe Rossi & Dawn Valois, North Bay, ON Patsy & Dana Russell, Island Coast Boat Tours, Grand Manan, NB EF and OK Schenk, North York, ON N. Sears, Fundy Hiking, St. Martins, NB Dr. David Sergeant, Hudson Heights, QC Kathy Sessamen, Saint John, NB Shirley Sharpe, Campbellton, NB Tom Sheppard, Sudbury, ON Heather Silliker, Colpitts Settlement, NB Shirley Sloat, Fredericton, NB Basil Small, Grand Manan, NB Lloyd Strickland, Ottawa, ON Rohan van Twest, Guelph, ON Susan Turner, Scarborough, ON Mike Turner, Scarborough, ON Russell Varnam, Calgary, AB Rob Walker, Alma, NB Harry Walker, Miramichi, NB Doreen Wallace, Fredericton, NB Diana F.M. Watson, Kettleby, ON Alma and Don White, Moncton, NB Howard and Nancy Wickett, Renfrew, ON Brian Wiese, Shanty Bay, ON Peter Wilcox, Sea Watch Tours, Grand Manan, NB  Rosemarie Zucker, Toronto, ON

GRANTS IN 2000

• Human Resources Development Canada (one summer student)
• U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (to Dr. Read) (support for porpoise research)
• Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (support for Harbour Porpoise Release Program) 
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (Canada & United States) (support for research vessel "Phocoena")
• Wheelock College (Whalenet) (support for porpoise research)
• New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund (support for stranding network develop-ment)
• Fundy Community Foundation (support for training material HPRP)
• Connor Brothers (support for HPRP)
• International Marine Mammal Association (support for porpoise research and public education)
• Canadian Nature Federation - Important Bird Areas (support for winter surveys of razorbills)
• Grand Manan Fishermen's Association (support for gillnet study)

• Allen, M.C. & A.J. Read. 2000. Vessel impact on habitat selection of foraging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) near Clearwater, Florida. Marine Mammal Science 16. 
• Connor, R., A. Read & R. Wrangham. 2000. Male social bonds and reproductive strategies. In: J. Mann, R. Connor, P. Tyack & H. Whitehead (editors), Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. In Press.
• Connor, R., R. Wells, J. Mann & A. Read. 2000. The bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops spp.: social relationships in a fission-fusion society. In: J. Mann, R. Connor, P. Tyack & H. Whitehead (editors), Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales. University of Chicago Press,  Chicago. In Press.
• Cox, T.M., A.J. Read, A. Solow, and N. Tregenza.  In Press.  Will porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) habituate to pingers?  Journal of Cetacean Research and Management.
• Johnston, D.W., Meisenheimer. P.M. and D.M. Lavigne. 2000. An evaluation of management objectives for Canada's commercial harp seal hunt, 1996-1998. Conservation Biology 14: 729-737.
• Lander, M.E., A.J. Westgate, R.K. Bonde, M.J. Murray. 2001.  Tagging and Tracking. In: CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine 2nd. Ed. L.A Dierauf and F.M.D. Gulland, eds.  CRC Press.  Boca Raton.
• Murray, K.T., A.J. Read & A. Solow. 2000. The use of time/area closures to reduce by-catches of marine mammals: lessons from the Gulf of Maine sink gillnet fishery. Journal of Cetacean Research & Management 2(2):135-141.
• Neimanis, A.S.; Read, A.J.; Foster, R.A.; Gaskin, D.E. 2000 Seasonal regression in testicular size and histology in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena, L.) from the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. Journal Of Zoology 250(2):221-229. 
• Read, A.J. & P.R. Wade. 2000. Status of marine mammals in the United States. Conservation Biology.
• Scott, M.D. Scott, A.A. Hohn, A.J. Westgate, J.R. Nicolas, B.R. Whitaker, W.B. Campbell. 2001.  A note on the release and tracking of a rehabiliatated pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). Journal Cetacean Research Management 3(1):87-94.
• Theses
• Heather Koopman. 2001. The structure and function of the blubber of odontocetes. Duke University.

THE YEAR 2001

• We would like to congratulate Dr. Aleksija Neimanis on the successful completion of her veterinary degree at the University of Guelph. 
• We would also like to congratulate Dr. Heather Koopman on her successful defense of her Ph.D. thesis at Duke University. She will begin a post-doctoral year at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts this fall.
• The Harbour Porpoise Release Program and associated research projects will continue this year.  Dave Johnston's will continue his Ph.D. work on defining harbour porpoise habitat.  Dr. Andy Read and Andrew Westgate will be continuing their harbour porpoise satellite deployment program with which is going into its 7th year. Health assessment of harbour porpoises and studies to reduce stress during handling will be continued.  We will also be seeking funds to build another mammal seine to assist in the removal of harbour porpoises from weirs. 
• We will participate in any disentanglement efforts as part of the Whale Emergency Network and will be receiving a first responder kit for disentangling whales funded by Environment Canada Habitat Stewardship Program in partnership with East Coast Ecosystems.
• Rob Ronconi and Sarah Wong will be conducting nesting seabird surveys in the Grand Manan archipelago funded by a number of organizations (see page 5).
• Andy LoSchiavo working on a Coastal Environmental Management Masters project at Duke University will be studying rockweed harvesting on Grand Manan and its biological and socio-economic implications.
• Work will continue with the organization and promotion of a stranding network for the province of New Brunswick funded by the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund in partnership with the New Brunswick Museum. 
• Our marine natural history museum and gift shop will again be open to all visitors from June through the first part of October.
• We will be welcoming numerous visiting scientists working on right whale projects in the Bay of Fundy.
• Bill Curtsinger from National Geographic is scheduled to finish an article on harbour porpoises.

 
(previous newsletters: 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 )

GMWSRS Grand Manan Whale & Seabird Research Station Inc. 24 Route 776, Grand Manan, NB, Canada, E5G 1A1 www.gmwsrs.org E-Mail info@gmwsrs.org © 2003 Grand Manan Whale & Seabird Research Station Inc. This page designed by revised October 17th 2006