___________________________________________ The Pale Whale Tales (Internet version) Vol 4, Number 1 (May 2001) __________________ In this issue ------- 1. Cape Caution 2001 - a new season gets underway 2. Mexico 2001 - the other end of the migration 3. Summer employment opportunities at CERF 4. CERF @ Port Hardy - Moving our head office -------- Cape Caution 2001 A new season gets underway Preparations are well underway for CERF's eighth season at Cape Caution. We will be returning to our base camp at Xusela (Skull Cove) again this year to continue research we began there in 1994 on grey whales and their environment. To date we have identified 85 individual greys from the Cape Caution area, of which 20-50 visit the study area during any given summer. We're always on pins and needles wondering whether Stormy, Target Left, Boomerang, Mugsy, or any of the other regulars made it through the winter. This promises to be an interesting field season. We'll be working on the whales' behaviours, trying to work out what they're doing underwater. We know they're feeding on mysid shrimp in and near kelp beds, but we know precious little about how they do it. We'll be using suction cup tags to study their diving behaviour and shore-based theodolite stations to track their movements between kelp beds. When we get back to the lab after the season, we'll connect the two datasets to test whether their behaviour can be described using optimal foraging theory. We'll also be continuing our long-term studies of abundance and movements using photo-identification. We plan to extend our coverage to include the coastal waters of BC north to Prince Rupert (some 200 miles) to see whether there are any other grey whale hotspots. We will be building on a recent collaboration between ourselves and six other research groups (Calambokidis et al. 2000) which estimated the total population of the Pacific Northwest to be about 155 animals. Both studies are quite labour-intensive, and they're projects that we could use a hand with. If you'd like to help out this summer, check out our website at for more details. References Calambokidis J, Darling JD, Deecke VB, Gearin P, Gosho M, Megill WM, Tombach CM, Goley D, Toropova C, Gisborne B (2000) Range and movements of seasonal resident gray whales from California to southeast Alaska. Report submitted to National Marine Fisheries Service, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Seattle WA. ------------- Mexico 2001 Covering the other end of the migration In February we began what we hope will be a long-term study of grey whales at the other end of their annual migration. We spent a month in San Ignacio Lagoon, working in collaboration with Mexican researchers, as well as on our own projects. Our primary aim while we were there was to measure a heart rate in a free-swimming grey whale, something that has never been done before, for any species of baleen whale. The project involved getting a suction-cup heart rate monitor tag onto a forty ton animal using a four-foot pole - an experience that did wonders for our own cardiac output! We came home with several recordings, some of which may have heart rates, though we won't know for sure until we go through the data with a fine tooth comb. Our second focus in Mexico was to assist with ongoing studies of abundance and movements being conducted by a research group from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, in La Paz. We shot 1300 photographs of something like 200 whales - we may be working on those for a while to come. We're looking particularly for any of the animals we know from British Columbia. Watch this space for details as soon as they happen! We'll be heading back to Mexico again next winter to continue both projects. Plans should firm up sometime in the fall - stay tuned to the Pale Whale Tales, or watch our website at for details. ------------- Summer employment opportunities at CERF We have two (paid) positions open for the summer. See our website at for details. Closing date is 15 May 2001, and because of the rules surrounding the funding, they are open only to British Columbia residents. We have two internship (unpaid) positions open for the summer as well. Again, see our website at for details. Note that Canadian Immigration regulations require us to consider qualified Canadian citizens and permanent residents first. ------------- CERF @ Port Hardy Moving our head office So we're finally going to do it. On the 26th of May, we load up the truck and move to Port Hardy. The North Island may never recover. As our activities get more focused on the Central Coast and the North Island, it makes sense to get closer to the research area. The move will allow us to extend our field season into the fall so that we can monitor the animals' behaviours right up until they head for Baja in December. Our new address will be: Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation Allison Harbour PO Box 124 Port Hardy, BC, Canada V0N 2P0 Tel: (604) 202-9350 Toll-free: 1-877-223-2373 Fax: (815) 327-0183 Email and website remain unchanged. info@cerf.bc.ca http://cerf.bc.ca/index.asp If you're in the area, please do feel free to drop in! We'd love to see you. --------------- That's it for this month. Next month: humpbacks & harbour seals. If there are topics you'd like to read about in this newsletter, please feel free to email me with suggestions. I hope you will choose to stick with us. The information in the section below is what we have on file for you. Please verify the information and email us if anything needs updating. Cheers, William (& co.) ----------------------------------- Cut Here ----------------------------------- CERF Database information Name Address City, Province, Postal Code Country Email Delete those that don't apply: Mail me a printed brochure Email me a PDF brochure (300K) I would like / not like to receive further issues of the Pale Whale Tales Remove me from the mailing list --------------------------------------------------------------------------------