Whales and New Jersey: Sperm Whales

Although New Jersey probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when people think of the home of whales, our 127 miles of coastline certainly sees many of them offshore.

If you have witnessed firsthand a whale surfacing from the deeps of an ocean, it is surely memorable. With their tremendous size and sometimes surprising gracefulness, whales are still somewhat of a mystery to even scientists who study them.

Whales are still hunted globally, but they are also protected in some parts of the world, including the Atlantic Ocean off the NJ coast. Six species of whales are protected when they are in New Jersey waters because they are Federally Endangered.

Whale, North Atlantic right**	Eubalaena glacialis**
Whale, blue**	Balaenoptera musculus**
Whale, fin**	Balaenoptera physalus**
Whale, humpback**	Megaptera novaeangliae**
Whale, sei**	Balaenoptera borealis**
Whale,sperm**	Physeter macrocephalus**
**Federally Endangered

Cetaceans is the order that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It is divided into
two suborders: Odontoceti and Mysticeti.

Odonoceti have teeth and a single blowhole, or nostril, at the top of the head. The sperm whale is in this suborder.

The Mysticetes, or baleen whales, have no teeth and two blowholes. Instead of teeth, great plates of horny baleen, which extend from the upper jaw, are used to strain
food from large mouthfuls of water. The other five species listed here are in that suborder.

I will take a brief look at those whale species in posts over the next few months as we head to the Jersey shore and gaze into the Atlantic - and maybe even do some whale watching.

Mother and baby sperm whale - Wikimedia

Sperm whales (Family Physeteridae) are best known as the nemesis of Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. There are not many reports of sperm whales attacking ships these days.

They are in the suborder of Odonoceti, and so they have teeth. They also have a single blowhole, and the sperm whale is the only one in that suborder that regularly produces a visible spout or blow. The whaling ship cry of "Thar she blows" comes from the hunting of the sperm whale for its once very valuable oil. The blowhole is far left of the center and far forward on the head, and emits a distinctive spout that is bushy and angled sharply forward.

Sperm whale spout  - via Flickr

These whales have a distinctive jaw that both recedes and is located directly under the head's center. This huge head extends a quarter to a third of its entire length, which can be as much as 21 m (69 ft.).

The sperm whale's skin, a dark brownish gray, looks corrugated. Two-thirds of the way
back from the snout, the whale has a distinguishing dorsal hump; behind that are a number
of bumps. The sperm whale has a keel on its belly, and the flukes, or sides of the flat tail,
are broad, triangular, and heavily notched at their back edges.

Sperm whales are usually observed in deep waters, far from most coastlines, and are not usually encountered within New Jersey’s coastal waters. According to the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program, there are no sightings currently documented within New Jersey waters for this species

MORE INFO
conservewildlifenj.org
njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/whales.pdf

New Jersey Boaters’ Input Requested on Whale Awareness and Safety

NJDEP Fish & Wildlife is assisting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division to improve agency communications with marine boaters about the presence of whales in coastal waters. 

To guide this effort, we are sharing a survey they have developed to learn more about the communication preferences of NJ boaters. Your response will help us streamline communications, increasing safety for boaters and whales, while respecting your needs as a boater. 

The survey will take about 10 minutes. Your participation is voluntary, and you can exit the survey at any time. Your response is anonymous. Survey data will be used for agency outreach initiatives, including boater safety and marine mammal programs.

Guide to Watchable Wildlife Areas

In 2009, I posted here about the original New Jersey Wildlife Viewing Guide (shown above). Since then it has been updated. There are lots of places to see wildlife in New Jersey, and the New Jersey Wildlife Viewing Guide is a good directory to some of those places, which are great family field trips.

The guide lists 99 viewing sites for wildlife in NJ and was a joint effort of the ENSP and Defenders of Wildlife. It contains eight eco-region tours for ecology-minded tourists.

Here are two viewing areas that we suggest for watching wildlife.

One well-known place is the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area. This long, slender peninsula goes 6.5 miles into NY Harbor and has 1665 acres. Popular as a swimming beach in summer and a fishing area year-round, it is also a major beach nesting area.

The visitors center (2 miles in from the entrance) can guide you to trails & observation areas, and warn you of nesting areas for piping plovers (at right), black skimmers, least terns and many shorebird species.

On the bay side, the Horseshoe Cove Salt Marsh is a good place to look for great blue herons, green herons and egrets. Offshore viewing from the beaches in summer may allow you a view of passing whales (hence the naming of the Spermaceti Cove Visitor Center)

From the Garden State Parkway, take exit 117 from the North or 105 from the south and follow the signs on Route 36 for 12 miles. Admission is charged during the summer season.

 

Some areas are less well-known, such as the Walkill National Wildlife Refuge. This large waterfowl habitat (7500 acres) is located along a 9-mile section of the Walkill River.

The Wallkill River NWR is located in Sussex County, New Jersey, and Orange County, New York. Congress established the refuge in 1990 to preserve and enhance lands and waters in a manner that conserves the natural diversity of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for present and future generations. The management emphasis is on Federally-listed endangered and threatened species, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, nesting and wintering grassland birds, and forest-dwelling birds.

There are three nature trails on the refuge. Each nature trail provides an excellent wildlife viewing opportunity. In winter months, with proper snow conditions, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are allowed on these trails.

225 species of birds have been seen, including 24 raptor species. The occasional black bear & bobcat are also seen. There is a wildlife observation deck, Wood Duck Trail & hundreds of acres of upland grassland.

The Refuge is near Sussex & Unionville. Follow Rt. 23 to Rt. 565 for 1.4 miles to the Refuge office.

The NJ viewing guide is available on Amazon, along with a set of Field Guides to Wildlife, Birds, Trees & Wildflowers of New Jersey that would be useful to bring along on any trip out into nature.

Earth's Largest Living Animal Visits the Jersey Shore

My post title almost sounds like something from a sci-fi horror film, but it is true and quite wonderful.

On Sept. 12, a blue whale surfaced in the Atlantic Ocean about 50 to 60 miles off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey. This endangered species is the world's largest animal and isn't often spotted in that part of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Example of a blue whale - NOAA Photo

Blue whales can be found in every ocean in the world, but they're most populous in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Atlantic Ocean, they're most often spotted in waters east of Canada, including the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the North Atlantic, blue whales can measure up to 90 feet long and sometimes weigh more than 100,000 pounds. Antarctic blue whales can grow even larger, reaching 110 feet in length and weighing up to 330,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Blue whales are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act and like other endangered species are protected in the waters off NJ. The World Wildlife Fund estimates only 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales remain in the world, down from as many as 250,000 before whaling decimated their populations. They were the industry's most sought after whale species due to their size and economic yields for blubber oil and food. The species remains threatened by ship strikes, fishing gear, exposure to toxins and environmental change. 

Whale watchers off the coast of Cape May with Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center got a rare glimpse during a wildlife research trip. NOAA previously recorded three blue whale sightings near Montauk Point, New York in 2008, and this sighting illustrates the incredible ecosystem off our coast.

The center shared photos  on their Facebook page showing the blue whale in the water, in addition to other wildlife spotted during the trip. 

An NOAA spokesperson confirmed to the Asbury Park Press that the creature seen off the coast of Cape May was a blue whale. They can be distinguished by a small dorsal fin on the lower part of their bodies and the aquamarine appearance of their skin underwater. Laurino said the whale was in an area about 200 feet deep. It was alone and retreated underwater after it had surfaced for about 15 minutes. Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center has conducted ecological tours of the Atlantic Ocean since 1987. The American Star is usually out on the water about 200 days per year. The researchers often spot a wide variety of wildlife — from dolphin and whale species to manta rays, sea turtles and birds — but the people aboard the boat earlier this month witnessed a first. 

Slow Down for Whales

Humpback whales are the most common whale seen in New Jersey’s waters. The Atlantic Ocean humpback whale population has been increasing in recent years and they were federally delisted as Endangered in 2016. More humpback whales have been observed overwintering in our nearshore waters, likely due to factors related to climate change, increased food abundance, and improved water quality.  

But all whales face certain challenges along New Jersey’s coast. Those challenges include the potential for vessel strikes, stranding and gear entanglement. NJ Fish & Wildlife, in cooperation with NOAA and its stranding response partners, strives to respond to all whale stranding and mortality events. Completing a necropsy (animal autopsy) is a priority for each stranding to help determine the cause of death. 

If you come across a stranded marine mammal in New Jersey, remain a safe and legal distance from the animal and immediately contact the NOAA Fisheries 24-hour Stranding Hotline at (866) 755-6622 to report its location.

NOAA Fisheries administers vessel speed reduction zones which include both mandatory (Seasonal Management Areas) and voluntary (Slow Zones) speed reduction areas for vessels to reduce the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries to critically endangered North Atlantic right whales that result from collisions with vessels. In addition to protecting North Atlantic right whales, Slow Zones provide added protection to all large whales and marine mammals.  

In the Seasonal Management Areas, all vessels 65 feet or longer must travel at 10 knots to reduce the threat of vessel collisions. Voluntary Slow Zones are triggered when 3 or more right whales are recorded in an area. In these areas, all vessels are encouraged to travel less than 10 knots. 

All boaters from Maine to Virginia, or interested parties, can sign up for email or text notifications about the latest Right Whale Slow Zones. 

Dead Whales Continue to Appear Off the NJ and NY Coasts

 

Dead humpback whale offshore
Photo: Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute.

A sixth dead whale in the past 33 days was found on the New York-New Jersey coastline this month. There have been 6 deaths since December.

The cause has not been determined but several environmental groups point to offshore wind turbines. The growing renewable energy alternative has been criticized for its impact on whales and other wildlife during and after construction. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are currently studying this sudden increase in humpback whale deaths but reports that it has been an issue since 2016 across the East Coast. In many cases, it was occurring long before any wind turbines were built. 

Partial or full necropsy examinations were conducted on approximately half of the whales reported to NOAA. Of the whales examined, about 40 percent had evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement.

Besides vessel strikes, it is known that noise - from ships, construction planning, and survey work - threatens whales who can be scared by noise and hit an obstruction. Infant whales can become distressed by noise and stop nursing.

Unlike strandings or situations where live whales appear to beach themselves, these whales (humpback and right whales) appeared dead offshore.

2016–2023 Humpback Whale Unusual Mortality Event Along the Atlantic Coast - NOAA

6 dead whales wash up in a month.- NJ.com

North Atlantic Right whales are one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, with only about 450 animals remaining. NOAA has developed regulations for boaters and fishermen to help protect these whales from injury or death from vessel collisions and entanglement in fishing gear.

Humpback Whales Are Regular Visitors to NJ and NY Waters

According to a study co-authored by Rutgers University, Gotham Whale, the Center for Coastal Studies, and 21 other organizations in the western North Atlantic, humpback whales spotted along the Jersey Shore and the waters off New York often stay for an extended period of time and return year after year.

New Jersey added humpbacks to their endangered species list in 1973. Although their numbers have rebounded better than some other whale species, they have not returned to their pre-whaling level. Despite the ban on hunting, humpbacks still face a number of threats, all of which are caused by humans.

Researchers found that 58% of whales spotted in the coastal area between Long Island and the New Jersey coast were seen more than once, either within the same year or between years. The average length of stay was 37.6 days. This suggests that humpback whales exhibit extended occupancy in specifically the area extending east to Fire Island, New York and south to Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey, and including the New York-New Jersey harbor estuary. 31% were likely to return from one year to the next.

Why they stay is not known for certain but it may be related to the consistent availability of a prey species called Atlantic menhaden. These commercially fished species have been increasing in abundance in the past decade.

Information on humpback whales in NJ

Humpback whale is seen in the Hudson River
(Photo: Danielle Brown, Rutgers University/Gotham Whale)

Right Whales in the Wrong Places

Entangled North Atlantic right whale spotted off New Jersey on October 11
Credit: Artie Raslich/Gotham Whale

At the end of last year, NOAA officials were on a search and rescue to find an entangled northern right whale that had been sighted in October near the approaches to New York Harbor.

The Gotham Whale group were on the American Princess New York-based whale watch vessel and spotted the whale 2.7 miles east of Sea Bright, N.J. 

The group's photographs allowed the New England Aquarium, who keep track of the highly endangered right whale population, to identify the whale as #4680, a 4-year-old juvenile male.

Whale #4680 had been last been reported July 7 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and at that time was not entangled in fishing gear.

The whale is the calf of Dragon, a 19-year-old female whale, who was last seen severely entangled off Nantucket with a buoy lodged in her mouth, according to the Aquarium. Dragon is not expected to have survived her entanglement.

“To have two members of the same right whale family become severely entangled in the same year highlights the entanglement threat that right whales are facing every day,” Amy Knowlton, a senior scientist with the Aquarium’s right whale team, said in a press release.

North Atlantic right whales got their name for the wrong reason. They were considered to be the "right" whales to hunted by whaling ships because they floated when they were killed. The species has never recovered to pre-whaling numbers. These whales have been protected since 1935, when the international prohibition on whaling went into effect. North Atlantic right whales have been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since it was enacted in 1973, but have been experiencing a steady population decline for nearly a decade.

During the search for #4680, researchers spotted another North Atlantic right whale entangled in marine lines. It was spotted south of Nantucket on October 19, 2020, and identified as #3920 (AKA Cottontail), an 11-year-old male that was last spotted in the same general area in March of this year.

On February 28, 2021, officials confirmed that Cottontail #3920 was found dead 15 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They collected biological samples, placed a tag on the whale to continue to track its location, and removed ropes entangling the animal. 

NOAA Fisheries the public that these majestic animals are exceedingly rare and endangered, with only 400 North Atlantic right whales remaining.

North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog

wobm.com/officials-give-updates-on-entangled-new-jersey-right-whale-more/

savecoastalwildlife.org/whales-of-the-jersey-shore

nationalfisherman.com/mid-atlantic/entangled-right-whale-off-new-jersey

nationalgeographic.com/travel/2021/01/why-whale-watching-is-having-a-moment-in-new-york-city/

Increase in Whales Off NJ May Not Be A Good Thing

A Rutgers researcher says climate change and cleaner waters are causing a "Dramatic Increase in Whales in NJ/NYC but this is also raising safety concerns.

The number of humpback whale sightings in New York City and northern New Jersey has increased by 500% raising the risk of dangerous interactions between the huge marine mammals and humans.

Cleaner waters off our coast is one reason and that is certainly a good thing. But the warming of the ocean due to climate change is not a good thing.

The increase in sightings near one of the world’s busiest ports is a safety concern for both whales and humans, especially with a new wave of migration headed close to shores this fall, said Danielle Brown, a doctoral student in ecology and evolution in Rutgers’ School of Environmental and Biology Sciences and the lead humpback whale researcher and naturalist for Gotham Whale, a New York-based nonprofit that studies and advocates for whales. Many of the sightings have occurred less than two miles from the shore. Brown said there’s a growing risk of dangerous interactions between the whales, the majority of which are juveniles, and humans in New York and New Jersey harbors. A whale is considered of juvenile age from the moment the calf is weaned to when it reaches sexual maturity, which can be anywhere between 6 and 13 years old.

Another attraction to our waters is a growing population of Atlantic menhaden, which are a major food source for the whales. Warmer ocean temperatures are also causing fish populations to move northward.

Humpback adults can reach 60 feet in length and weigh more than 40 tons, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Geographic Society. They are found in every ocean in the world near coastlines, feeding on krill, plankton, and small fish.

Size of a humpback in relation to a human

Typically they will migrate annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding waters. Humpback whale migration begins in the fall,

The increase in whale sightings has also created an unlikely new business venture. Many fishing boats have started whale watching cruises along New Jersey and New York City harbors. While an economic boost to many fishermen, it also raises concerns about boats getting too close.

Fishermen should take extra precautions to protect themselves and the whales. “If you’re on a boat, try to move parallel to them and never cut them off from the direction they are moving, and never chase them,” she said. “The National Marine Fisheries Service recommends a distance of at least 100 feet, and only one boat should be that close at a time, so as not to crowd the whale. If the whales appear to be feeding, give them extra space. Humpback whales are becoming more consistent in our waters, so boaters need to prepare themselves for encountering them more often. If the guidelines are followed, we can all co-exist safely.”

Whales and New Jersey: Sei Whales

Sei whale and calf

In this last post about whales that travel off the New Jersey coastline and that are federally endangered (and so protected while in our waters), we look at the sei whale.

Sei whales reach lengths of 18.9 meters (62 ft.). They have dark steel-gray body frequently looks galvanized. The body is frequently covered with small pit-like circular scars, which come from the bites of cookie-cutter sharks.

Sei is the Norwegian word for pollock, also referred to as coalfish, a close relative of codfish. Sei whales appeared off the coast of Norway at the same time as the pollock, both coming to feed on the abundant plankton. The specific name is the Latin word borealis, meaning northern.

The development of explosive harpoons and steam-powered whaling ships in the late nineteenth century brought previously unobtainable large whales like the Sei within reach of commercial whalers. Initially their speed and elusiveness, and later the comparatively small yield of oil and meat partially protected them. But once stocks of more profitable right whales, blue whales, fin whales, and humpback whales became depleted, sei whales were hunted in earnest, particularly from 1950 to 1980.

The right lower lip is gray and baleen plates are primarily grayish black. The whale's snout is barely arched, while its slightly pointed rostrum (the forward extension of the upper jaw) sports a single median dorsal ridge. Two-thirds of the body length back of the head is a tall curved, tall dorsal fin. The leading edges of the flukes are occasionally white.

When the sei whale spouts a blow it can be either bushy or columnar and it is usually quite tall.

The sei whale is a baleen whale, and the third-largest rorqual baleen whale after the blue whale and the fin whale.

It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water.

The sei whale migrates annually from cool and subpolar waters in summer to winter in temperate and subtropical waters.

Sei whales have a lifespan of 70 years.

The total number of sei whales in U.S. waters is unknown. A old tag-and-recapture study from 1977 estimated the stock ranged between nearly 1,400 and 2,250 sei whales.

Mass death events for sei whales have been recorded for many years and evidence suggests endemic poisoning ("marea roja") causes may have caused mass deaths in prehistoric times.

In June 2015, scientists flying over southern Chile counted 337 dead sei whales, in what is regarded as the largest mass beaching ever documented. The cause is not yet known; however, toxic algae blooms caused by unprecedented warming in the Pacific Ocean, known as the Blob, may be implicated.

Whale, North Atlantic right**	Eubalaena glacialis**
Whale, blue**	Balaenoptera musculus**
Whale, fin**	Balaenoptera physalus**
Whale, humpback**	Megaptera novaeangliae**
Whale, sei**	Balaenoptera borealis**
Whale,sperm**	Physeter macrocephalus**
**Federally Endangered

Whales and New Jersey: Fin Whales

The first international agreement to halt whale hunting was reached in the mid-1930s as a reaction to the decline of various whale species.

Six species were listed by the federal government as endangered in 1970 and as a result of that they were automatically added to the New Jersey endangered species list following enactment of the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act in 1973.

Fin whale exhaling off Greenland - Wikimedia

The fin whale of the North Atlantic (Balaenoptera physalus) is one of those species.

They can reach lengths of 24.1 m (79 ft.). They have a blue-black body and a white underside with a distinctive grayish-white chevron on the back behind the head. Its V-shaped snout has a single dorsal ridge running down its middle. Its mouth is also quite distinctive, with the right lower jaw lip white, in contrast to the black left lower jaw. The fin whale's head is flat, and far back is situated a steeply angled dorsal fin.

When this whale spouts through its blowhole - a way many whales can be identified -  the blow is tall and columnar in shape.

Estimates of whale populations are "estimates" and not very reliable. For western North Atlantic fin whales, the best available conservative population estimate is 2,200.

Whale, North Atlantic right**	Eubalaena glacialis**
Whale, blue**	Balaenoptera musculus**
Whale, fin**	Balaenoptera physalus**
Whale, humpback**	Megaptera novaeangliae**
Whale, sei**	Balaenoptera borealis**
Whale,sperm**	Physeter macrocephalus**
**Federally Endangered

MORE INFO

• njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/whales.pdf
• A Whale for the Killing - the story of Farley Mowat's struggle to save an endangered fin whale,one of rarest creatures on Earth
• A fin whale book for children

Fin Whale by Amila Tennakoon on Flickr

Whales and New Jersey: Right Whales

The threat to right whales is not a new thing. By the time of the Plymouth colonists in the 1600s, the stock of right whales may have already been substantially reduced during the previous century by Basques who captured them in the waters between Labrador and Newfoundland.

The right whale is so-named because it was considered the "right" or correct whale for whaling ships to pursue. It swam slowly, was easy to approach and kill, and it didn't sink after death. Forty percent of a right whale's body weight is blubber, which is of relatively low density. Consequently, unlike many other species of whale, dead right whales float.

It was sought for both its oil which was used for lamps, and baleen which was used for corset stays and other objects.

Right whales (black whales) are actually three species of large baleen whales of the genus Eubalaena: the North Atlantic right whale (E. glacialis) seen off the New Jersey coast, the North Pacific right whale (E. japonica) and the Southern right whale (E. australis).

Northern Right Whale and calf

The right whale can be as long as 16.2 m (53 ft.). It is large and rotund, with mottled brown to nearly black coloring. Both chin and belly show some white, while the dark brownish to dark gray or black baleen plates are long (up to 8 feet) and black-although
they might look pale yellowish gray far offshore. The highly arched jaw curves upward. The head and sometimes the lips are characterized by a series of bumps called callosities. The pattern of callosities can be used to identify individuals. The bonnet, the biggest of these bumps, is located just in front of two large blowholes. The right whale has no dorsal ridge or fin. Broad flukes, which are dark underneath, have pointed tips that are very concave toward a deep notch.

When the right whales blow it is V-shaped when seen from ahead or behind.

At present, they are among the most endangered whales in the world, and they are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and Canada's Species at Risk Act.

There are about 400 individuals in existence in the western North Atlantic Ocean—they migrate between feeding grounds in the Labrador Sea and their winter calving areas off Georgia and Florida, an ocean area with heavy shipping traffic.

In the eastern North Atlantic, on the other hand—with a total population reaching into the low teens at best—scientists believe that they may already be functionally extinct.

Vessel strikes and entanglement in fixed fishing gear, which together account for nearly half of all North Atlantic right whale mortality since 1970, are their two greatest threats to recovery.

Whale, North Atlantic right**	Eubalaena glacialis**
Whale, blue**	Balaenoptera musculus**
Whale, fin**	Balaenoptera physalus**
Whale, humpback**	Megaptera novaeangliae**
Whale, sei**	Balaenoptera borealis**
Whale,sperm**	Physeter macrocephalus**
**Federally Endangered

MORE INFO njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/whales.pdf

Whales and New Jersey: Blue Whales

In reaction to the decline of various whale species, the first international agreement to halt whale hunting was reached in the mid-1930s. All six species that I have written about here are listed by the U.S. federal government as endangered as of 1970.

Because of that federal status, all 6 were automatically added to the New Jersey endangered species list following enactment of the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act in 1973.

Currently, only Japan and Norway are still engaged in commercial whaling.

Size of blue whale compared to an average human scuba diver

Our sixth and final species from our endangered in New Jersey list to consider in this series is the blue whale. Last but certainly not least, the blue whale is the largest animal alive and probably the largest animal that has ever existed!

The blue whale has reached lengths greater than 30.5 meters (100 ft.) and has reached weights of about 178,000 kg (196 tons). Typically, it averages 23-27 m (70 to 90 ft.) and weighs about 90,000 to 135,000 kg (100 to 150 tons).

The blue whale model in the Museum of Natural History in New York City was my first childhood whale encounter. It makes the dinosaurs seem pretty small. I have yet to see a blue whale in the ocean, but I am sure that will fill me with that same childhood wonder.

Blue whale in the Museum of Natural History, NYC - via https://www.flickr.com/photos/zokuga/6226644368

The blue whale's skin is light-bluish gray and mottled with gray or grayish-white. It appears distinctly blue when seen through the water.

Underneath, the belly sometimes has a yellowish tinge as a result of diatoms that have attached themselves in cold water. That gives this whale the nickname "Sulphur Bottom Whale."

The pectoral flippers are long and thin, while the dorsal fin is very small and far back.

When this whale spots through its blowhole it is high and columnar. Like the fin whale and unlike the sei whale, the blowholes appear before (not with) the dorsal fin as the whale surfaces.

Blue whale - Balaenoptera musculus - NOAA photo via Wikimedia

Blue whales were abundant in nearly all the oceans on Earth until the beginning of the twentieth century. For over a century, they were hunted almost to extinction by whalers until protected by the international community in 1966.

A 2002 report estimated there were 5,000 to 12,000 blue whales worldwide in at least five groups. An encouraging IUCN report estimates that there are probably between 10,000 and 25,000 blue whales worldwide today.

Before whaling, the largest population was in the Antarctic, but now there are only much smaller (around 2,000 whales) concentrations in each of the eastern North Pacific, Antarctic, and Indian Ocean groups. There are two more groups in the North Atlantic, and at least two in the Southern Hemisphere. As of 2014, the Eastern North Pacific blue whale population had rebounded to nearly its pre-hunting population.  A 1987 report on the blue whale population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence catalogued 308 individuals.

Whale, North Atlantic right**	Eubalaena glacialis**
Whale, blue**	Balaenoptera musculus**
Whale, fin**	Balaenoptera physalus**
Whale, humpback**	Megaptera novaeangliae**
Whale, sei**	Balaenoptera borealis**
Whale,sperm**	Physeter macrocephalus**
**Federally Endangered

Whales and New Jersey: Humpback Whales

Whaling in North America was reported as early as A.D. 890. The principal attraction of whaling was the whale's subcutaneous blubber, which yielded oil ideal for lamp oil which was the dominant form of lighting. Much later, it was used in the production of margarine.

The baleen and, in the case of the sperm whale, whale teeth, were also of value. Whalebones were used in the manufacture of glue, gelatin and manure. Besides being eaten by humans, the meat has also been used in dog food and, when dried and crushed, as cattle feed.

Humpback whales may be the best known of all the whales and are easily recognized. These whales, which reach lengths of 16.2 m (53 ft.), have broad, rapidly tapering bodies that are primarily black. Their bellies are sometimes white, and in the North Atlantic the flippers are usually white both ventrally and dorsally (or top
and bottom).

Breaching humpback

Their baleen plates are black, with black or olive-black bristles. Both the top of their heads and lower jaws are dotted with randomly placed fleshy knobs. The lower jaw also has a rounded projection on its tip.

The long flippers are the most distinctive feature of this whale, since at one-third the body length they exceed those of any other species, and they have scalloped leading edges.

The pattern on the underside of the tail varies from all white to all black each pattern is individually distinctive, allowing researchers to identify and track individual whales.

Humpbacks are well known for their songs. We have discovered that these songs can travel across an ocean, and that male humpback compositions are improvised together, from one year to the next.  Check out this PBS Nature video clip to see and hear them - "Songs of the Humpbacks."

Humpback in singing position along with a calf

Whale, North Atlantic right**	Eubalaena glacialis**
Whale, blue**	Balaenoptera musculus**
Whale, fin**	Balaenoptera physalus**
Whale, humpback**	Megaptera novaeangliae**
Whale, sei**	Balaenoptera borealis**
Whale,sperm**	Physeter macrocephalus**
**Federally Endangered

SOURCE  njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/whales.pdf

Why All These Whales Are Around NJ

A humpback fluke- the tail of each humpback whale is visibly unique.

There have been a number of humpback whale sightings off New York and New Jersey the past month. Humpbacks weigh from 25 to 40 tons, and can grow to 60 feet in length and they are impressive as they feed and breach.

Humpbacks are baleen whales, meaning they don't have teeth but instead filter small fish, plankton and tiny crustaceans out of the water. They spend the spring, summer and fall building up their blubber, which nourishes them during the winter breeding season when they don't feed.

In early September, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced its decision to remove most humpback whale populations from its endangered species list. Once depleted by commercial whaling, humpbacks had been on the list since 1970.

There are 14 distinct global populations of humpbacks and those along the East Coast breed in the Caribbean and migrate north for feeding. Currently the most  endangered populations include those that breed off Central America and migrate up the coasts of California and Oregon.

Though no longer listed as endangered, those on our coast are still protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the International Whaling Commission's 1982 moratorium on whale hunting.

There are stronger populations now, but why so many sightings lately? Simple answer: food.

Commercial catch limits have been placed on menhaden, also known as bunker, an oily fish that's a major food source for humpbacks. New rules and quotas put in place in by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in 2012 cut by 20 percent the amount of bunker that could be harvested by commercial fishing operations.

Menhaden by Brian.gratwicke - wikipedia.org   CC BY 2.5, Link

Whales migrate along the New Jersey coast late summer through late fall and are feeding heavily on the improved menhaden numbers.

Menhaden/bunker are a slow swimming species that has been called "The Most Important Fish in the Sea." They feed on phytoplankton and are a food source for whales and also bluefish and striped bass and osprey and bald eagles. Bunker are also turned into pet food, lobster bait, aquaculture food and fish oil supplements.

Humpbacks are by far the most frequently sighted whales along New Jersey's coast. We also occasionally spot some of the smaller populations of finback, minke and North Atlantic right whales as they migrate through our waters.

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MORE about humpback whales:  www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/humpback-whale.html

MORE about whales in our area: Gotham Whale  and Cape May Whale Watch

Humpback Whales Off NJ and NYC

An example of humpback whales lunge feeding - via Wikimedia

Humpback whales were spotted this month in both the Hudson River off New York City and also in Raritan Bay between Sandy Hook and Perth Amboy.

Both whales were lunge feeding which is when they lunge forward from the water taking in thousands of gallons of water and fish. It appeared that these whales had found a good supply of menhaden, a small forager fish that is known to fishermen as bunker..

These whales have found sufficient food to make a stop here worthwhile.

A humpback was also spotted off Belmar, NJ this month and reportedly damaged a boat that was too near. Those who come across the whale are urged to keep their distance.

Typically, these whales should be getting ready to head south for the winter.

It is a good sign that they are being seen here more frequently as it indicates cleaner water and more abundant fish. But the busy NY/NJ waterways are not really the safest areas for feeding due to waterway traffic.

Most whales are passing the coastline but will enter a bay when they find bait fish, however, we don't want them entering rivers like the Raritan or the Arthur Kill.

The behavior of these whales has been normal, so it doesn't seem that they are in any distress.

Unfortunately, about 80 miles from Manhattan, another humpback whale was stranded for a week in Moriches Bay (off the southern coast of Long Island). After being stuck in a sand bar in four feet of water for two days, it was euthanized by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network,

Whale Beached in NJ Died Due to Human Interaction

Beached whale in NJ - Photo via nj.com

A humpback whale that washed ashore in Sea Isle City, New Jersey in early September died because of human interaction, officials say. The beached young whale was 33 feet long and weighed some 20 tons.

Officials with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said it may have been caught in a fishing line which caused injuries that left it unable to feed. A necropsy revealed that the whale was emaciated.

Only a few weeks before the whale was found, the news on humpback whales was that many populations were being removed from the endangered species list.

But whales still are endangered - listed or not - by human interactions, especially entanglement in fishing gear, weaponized sonar use, and ship collisions. Conservationists will continue to work to minimize these interactions.

Breaching humpback whale

The www.csmonitor.com wrote about the NJ stranding and reminds us that humans have hunted whales for some 5,000 years, but in the second half of the 20th century, whales became a popular species to "save."

"Save the Whales" led to the Marine Animal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act and commercial whaling moratoriums emerged.

What about currently? This year, NOAA Marine Fisheries Service designated an additional 39,414 square miles of ocean as critical habitat for the endangered right whale. Last year, the US Navy agreed to reduce its use of mid-frequency sonar along the coasts of California and Hawaii.

As far as I'm concerned, taking a species off the "endangered" list moves it to the "threatened" list. Pay attention, people.

Humpbacks at the Jersey Shore

A group of humpback whales feeding on small fish

Humpback whales have been spotted feeding off the Jersey coast this month. Though we don't know a lot about their time off our coast, it is thought that humpbacks may only be using New Jersey waters as a migratory pathway between their summer feeding grounds in the north and their winter breeding grounds in the south. Feeding has been regularly documented in New Jersey waters and individuals have been observed close to the shoreline, including within Delaware Bay.

Recently, a paddle boarder off Stone Harbor spotted the whales from the beach and paddled
out for a closer look and shot some video.

During the summer, humpback whales spend most of their time feeding and building-up fat in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. These fat stores are crucial since after their long migration to winter breeding and calving grounds, located in warmer subtropical or tropical waters, there will be no feeding for the entire winter.

Humpback whales have one of the longest migrations of any animal. They have been known to travel up to 5,160 miles between summer feeding grounds and winter breeding grounds. Humpbacks have been known to travel 3,000 miles in as few as 36 days.

In 1966, the International Whaling Commission prohibited commercial whaling of humpbacks due to the decline of the species. It was listed by the federal government as endangered in 1970 and, as a result of that federal status, was automatically added to the New Jersey endangered species list following enactment of the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act in 1973.

Humpbacks are provided with additional protection with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Marine mammals should not be approached closer than 50 yards. Despite the ban on hunting, humpback whales face a number of human threats, including entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, harassment by whale watchers and habitat impact.


http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/species/fieldguide/view/Megaptera%20novaeangliae/

Whale Migration at the Jersey Shore

Humpback whales feeding.       http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistermoss/ / CC BY 2.0

Whales do pass New Jersey on their migrations and during fall beach walkers and boaters get some great views.

Recent reports include a humpback just a few hundred feet from the Bay Head shoreline and off Chadwick beach. Humpbacks are adding bulk for winter which they spend in Silver Bank Sanctuary, a shallow water area off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

Southern waters are where they mate, birth and nurse their calves.

We will see them again when they follow the food north in April.

Pods of the baitfish, menhaden, and striped bass and bluefish often coincide with the fall migration of marine mammals, so whales and bottlenose dolphins and seals are more common at the shore.

Bob Schoelkopf, founder and director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine said the humpback whales are the primary whale species that have been spotted by numerous boaters because they come closest to the shore, using it to pin the bait up so they can eat it.

Boaters are always warned to stay clear of whales and dolphins. At 80,000 pounds, a humpback can do real damage to boats. They can eat upwards to 3,000 pounds a fish per day.

The warning is also a legal one because humpbacks are an endangered species that are safeguarded by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammals Protection Act while they pass through our waters. Boats must stay at least 200 feet from them.

You won't see them near shore, but boaters may spot right whales and minke whales further out and they move south to waters off Georgia and Florida. Right whales are the most endangered whale species in the world.

Do any whales remain of the NJ coast through winter? Yes, the mackerel-loving and endangered fin whales. Next to blue whales, they are the second-largest whales growing up to 80 feet.

The only visitors to Jersey that will see on shore are the one fur-bearing species that comes south to visit for the holidays. That is the harbor seal. They are spotted onshore sunning, maybe on a dredge pipe on the Manasquan River or resting on the beach at Seaside Heights.

More at app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2015/11/11/humpback-whales-jersey-shore/

Whales Off the NJ Coast This Month May Be Threatened By Research

RIGHT WHALE Eubalaena glacialis with calf. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Recent whale sightings off Deal and Lavalette are a reminder that whales are in the middle of their annual migration north past our beaches. Seeing a humpback breaching the surface and landing with thunderous splashes is still rare enough to be news, but the whales are out there.

In what may seem surprising, some environmental groups have opposed a recent "climate change" study by Rutgers University because of whales and other marine mammals.

Environmentalists have joined Governor Chris Christie in opposing research funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and conducted by Rutgers University and the University of Texas. They planned to to send ear-shattering sound blasts to the ocean floor off the New Jersey shore to create three-dimensional images of sediment lying thousands of feet beneath the seabed. This will supposedly help determine how the coastline has advanced and retreated during times of historic climate change.

But many environmental groups and some commercial and recreational fishing interests argue that the study would harm dolphins, whales, and other marine life by subjecting them to sounds blasts of 250 decibels or more every five seconds for 34 days.

Cassandra Ornell, a staff scientist for Clean Ocean Action, a coalition of more than 125 groups, conceded that opposing a federally funded climate change study “is kind of unusual for us.”

Whales are more plentiful off the Jersey coast now because of the annual spring migration from their southern winter grounds to their northern summer grounds.

Sightings have been of the dramatic humpback whale. They are feeding on small schooling fishes, such as menhaden (aka bunker). We also have right whales, minke whales and fin whales passing by our coast, though those species tend to stay further offshore.

The research is also of concern because humpbacks are traveling with calves.

 Size compared to an average human - via Wikimedia Commons.

Fishermen can encounter whales while fishing on top of schools of bunker for striped bass. This occurred this summer off Asbury Park when fisherman met up with a fin whale.

The right whale, in particular, is considered highly endangered and boaters are supposed to keep a distance of 100+ feet from all whales and 500 yards from right whales.

The seriously endangered right whale (whose name came from whalers who said it was the "right" whale to hunt) are estimated at only 300 living mainly off the eastern coast of the United States and Canada. The right whale was friendly, slow swimming, floated when killed, and yielded lots of oil and baleen and whalers killed thousands of them. The population in the North Atlantic is the most endangered in the world.

Federally Endangered Whales That Migrate Past NJ
Whale, North Atlantic right**	Eubalaena glacialis**
Whale, blue**	Balaenoptera musculus**
Whale, fin**	Balaenoptera physalus**
Whale, humpback**	Megaptera novaeangliae**
Whale, sei**	Balaenoptera borealis**