Whaling Museum » rochabob

Good Info About Whale Sounds

rochabob — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:08:46 +0000

We all know that cetaceans make sounds. There aren’t too many people that come in to the NBWM that haven’t at least heard a humpback whale call. But how exactly do they make these sounds in the water if there’s no pathway for the air to move from the lungs, over the vocal cords and out of the month? After all, they are mammals, and that’s the set up we understand the best.

The attached New York Times article, with an entertaining and informative video clip, provides some of this information in the latter part of the story. You’ll also learn about the ‘aroma’ that follows whale biologists after they’ve done a necropsy.

The featured researcher, Dr. Joy Reidenberg, was in Middletown, RI, when KOBO was hauled ashore. She took his larynx, all eight feet of it, in three plastic garbage bags, back to her lab at Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

Satellite Tags Help Researchers Study Whales

rochabob — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:33:52 +0000

This article in the Daily Astorian, from Oregon, features Bruce Mate answering a variety of questions about whales and some of what’s been learned from tagging them. This is a good story for those of you looking for good tidbits of info without going into too much detail.

Whale Advocates Sue to Restrict Navy Sonar Use

rochabob — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:24:04 +0000

The question of balancing national security against respecting the other forms of life that share the planet with us continues apace. A lawsuit was filed in CA last week against the National Marine Fisheries Service for granting a five year permit to the Navy for expanded sonar testing in West Coast waters.

A lecture on this topic will take place here at the New Bedford Whaling Museum on Thursday, March 29, at 6:30 pm. Capt. Stacy Pedrozo, USN, C.O. Naval Justice School and Capt. Tom Fetherston, USN Retired, will present “Whose Homeland Security Is It: Protecting Marine Mammals While Protecting National Security” For more information visit http://www.whalingmuseum.org/programs/speakers-series/man-and-whales

The Problem of Noise in the Ocean

rochabob — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:19:53 +0000

The transport of goods across the ocean, the search for fossil fuels deep in the seabed and the noise of pleasure craft all combine to cloud the medium that whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals use to communicate. The sounds we’ve added to the ocean makes feeding, navigating and staying in contact with each other much more difficult for these marine mammals. It’s akin to standing next to a highway trying to have a conversation as opposed to doing so next to a country road (Discovery News, June 2010)

The problem doesn’t seem to be limited to cetaceans and pinnipeds. Cephalopods, the squid, octopus and cuttlefish that are favored foods of whales and their kin, also appear to be negatively impacted by human generated noise. Check out this Discovery News article from April 2011.

An article published yesterday in CNN Opinion, by Cornell’s Chris Clark and Brandon Southall, formerly of NOAA, offers some thoughtful suggestions as to how we can combat this problem that we’ve created. We created the technology that makes the noise. We can create the technology that minimizes the noise.

The animal shown in the article is a Risso’s Dolphin.

May you have a quiet weekend, except while you’re cheering on the New England Patriots.

Snoozing Sperm Whales

rochabob — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:33:47 +0000

A question that is commonly asked within the Whaling Museum (and on whale watch boats, etc) is ‘How do whales sleep?’ This video from Discovery News has a short clip of several sperm whales taking a nap in the ocean. The commentary on the video gives a brief explanation.

Pilot Whale Research – Citizen Science

rochabob — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:43:10 +0000

Zoologia Danica Pattedyr XVI by Lovendal. From NBWM Kendall Collection.

For those of you with an interest in whale vocalizations and a keen ear, you might be interested in this opportunity to aid in whale research. ” The collective wisdom of the crowd is being called upon to help scientists decipher the language of pilot and killer whales in a project that could help us operate our machines in harmony with the ocean giants.”

After reading about unusual strandings and deaths of Cuvier’s Beaked Whales in the waters off of Italy over the last 36 hours, presumably in the same areas as sonar testing, this type of research and new knowledge is critically important. Let us know if you do choose to participate. Call Bob Rocha at extension 149.

Exciting Whale Fossil Discovery

rochabob — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:57:48 +0000

Paleontologists in Chile have found approximately 80 whale fossils that date back approximately seven million years. This discovery could help fill in gaps in the fossil record and/or confirm presently accepted cetacean evolution patterns. There will most certainly be more news to come from this large discovery.

Moby Dick Marathon Call-In Line

rochabob — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:14:35 +0000

Anyone interested in reading in the Moby Dick Marathon can call in to (508) 997-0046 x151, starting after midnight tonight, as Sunday, November 13 turns into Monday, November 14. All callers are asked to leave their names, to spell their last names, leave phone number, preferred reading time and two alternate times.

The MDM is less than two months away. The event begins with a dinner on Friday, January 6 at 5:30. Tickets are available for $25, through our Front Desk, x100. Following the dinner there is a free lecture in our Cook Memorial Theater, at 7:15, by Dr. Timothy Marr. The next morning we invite you to Stump the Scholars at 10:00 am. The reading begins at noon on Saturday, January 7 and continues on through Sunday, January 8 at approximately 1:00 pm.

For specific questions about the Moby Dick Marathon, call x149.

Right Whales in Court

rochabob — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:36:38 +0000

Less than 24 hours before the start of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium annual meeting, to be held here at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, notice has been sent out that a joint lawsuit has been filed against National Marine Fisheries Service. Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society of America, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society have jointly sued ” to hold the National Marine Fisheries Service accountable for continuing to allow four federal fisheries to injure and kill endangered whales, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.”

The blog post from the Defenders of Wildlife can be seen here.

2011-2012 Whaling Museum Apprentices

rochabob — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:30:07 +0000

Back row: Carlos, John, Amber, Sharmaine, Gustin, Mark, Alfredo, Science Director Bob Rocha. Front row: Vanessa, Raven, Peightyn, Erica, Melanie

The Museum’s apprentices were formally welcomed on Tuesday, October 25 by Museum staff, Trustees and volunteers, apprentice family members, representatives of New Bedford Public Schools, City Councillor Steve Martins and Mayor Scott Lang. Five of our apprentices, John Antunes, Melanie DeJesus, Peightyn Riley, Mark Ste. Rose and Carlos Velazquez are returning for their second year with us. They are working directly with Museum staff. Our seven new apprentices, Vanessa Alves, Erica Andrade, Sharmaine Flint, Gustin Froias, Amber Martin, Raven Medeiros-Neves and Alfredo Parilla have started their training and behind-the-scenes immersion as to how our museum operates.

Nine of these students attend New Bedford High School; three of them attend Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School. Our new apprentices were chosen from a pool of 52 applicants. We’re very happy to have them as part of our team.