CritterCam inventor Greg Marshall of the National Geographic Society celebrates recent research success with Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation aboard the Sea Lion. After spending a full day in a remote bay in the presence of possibly the world's largest aggregation of bubblenet feeding humpback whales (an estimated 50 whales) we were treated to new insights from these experts.
Iyoukeen Cove is a hemispherical bay on the eastern shore of Chichagof Island. Verdant temperate rainforest lies behind limestone escarpments and a long pebbled beach. Derelict pilings stand testimony to a bygone era of salmon processing. When we awoke this morning we could see none of these features; what we could see however was surreally breathtaking. Outstanding in a light gray world was a boiling sea alive with multitudes of fish. The huge mouths, pink palettes, bloated throats, and baleen plates of humpback whales slowly slid through the surface scooping breakfast out of the boiling broth.
With downward migration of the food chain with encroaching light the whales changed strategy and joined forces to feed. Groups of whales would rapidly dive tail after tail after tail, to reemerge en masse with mouths wide open. This dramatic cooperative group-feeding behavior continued all through the day. Groups of half a dozen or more whales worked the bay coalescing and dividing as the mood or resource acquisition process dictated. We observed incredible breaches, lunges, chin slaps and other demonstrative surface behaviors as the whales changed affiliations.
Alaska Whale Foundation is attempting to see how these unique baleen whale feeding groups work cooperatively to efficiently capture herring. One whale is thought to make a large net of expelled air as others herd fish up into the bubble trap. One animal makes an incredible trumpeting vocalization. We deployed our hydrophone through the day to broadcast underwater accompaniment to the visual treat of the surface-feeding whales, although the tremulous feeding calls would hauntingly come up through the hull of our ship unaided at times.
This afternoon Sea Lion guests got the thrill of a lifetime as they watched the whales' exuberant group feeding antics low in the water from our kayaks.
Just this week the researchers have made new discoveries with eight successful attachments of the "CritterCam" to these whales. Preliminary viewing of new footage demonstrates how the fish run up and away from the source of the vocalizations and helps show some of the roles of individuals in the group effort.
Greg Marshall got his idea for the now-famous "CritterCam" from diving with a shark that had a remora attached to it. A large suction cup adheres to the body of the animal carrying with it a camera, computer, hydrophone, floatation device, transmitter, little red headlights and more. On a time delay the camera detaches, floats to the surface and is retrieved by the eager researchers. This ingenious device is giving the scientific world new views of what goes on below; it has been successfully attached to 30 different species of marine creatures, including sharks, turtles, seals, penguins and whales. There are now plans for deployment on even birds and bears.
We spent the whole of the day in the rhythm of the feeding whales and felt fortunate to be exposed to breaking research that may help to explain these extraordinary behaviors.
Iyoukeen Cove is a hemispherical bay on the eastern shore of Chichagof Island. Verdant temperate rainforest lies behind limestone escarpments and a long pebbled beach. Derelict pilings stand testimony to a bygone era of salmon processing. When we awoke this morning we could see none of these features; what we could see however was surreally breathtaking. Outstanding in a light gray world was a boiling sea alive with multitudes of fish. The huge mouths, pink palettes, bloated throats, and baleen plates of humpback whales slowly slid through the surface scooping breakfast out of the boiling broth.
With downward migration of the food chain with encroaching light the whales changed strategy and joined forces to feed. Groups of whales would rapidly dive tail after tail after tail, to reemerge en masse with mouths wide open. This dramatic cooperative group-feeding behavior continued all through the day. Groups of half a dozen or more whales worked the bay coalescing and dividing as the mood or resource acquisition process dictated. We observed incredible breaches, lunges, chin slaps and other demonstrative surface behaviors as the whales changed affiliations.
Alaska Whale Foundation is attempting to see how these unique baleen whale feeding groups work cooperatively to efficiently capture herring. One whale is thought to make a large net of expelled air as others herd fish up into the bubble trap. One animal makes an incredible trumpeting vocalization. We deployed our hydrophone through the day to broadcast underwater accompaniment to the visual treat of the surface-feeding whales, although the tremulous feeding calls would hauntingly come up through the hull of our ship unaided at times.
This afternoon Sea Lion guests got the thrill of a lifetime as they watched the whales' exuberant group feeding antics low in the water from our kayaks.
Just this week the researchers have made new discoveries with eight successful attachments of the "CritterCam" to these whales. Preliminary viewing of new footage demonstrates how the fish run up and away from the source of the vocalizations and helps show some of the roles of individuals in the group effort.
Greg Marshall got his idea for the now-famous "CritterCam" from diving with a shark that had a remora attached to it. A large suction cup adheres to the body of the animal carrying with it a camera, computer, hydrophone, floatation device, transmitter, little red headlights and more. On a time delay the camera detaches, floats to the surface and is retrieved by the eager researchers. This ingenious device is giving the scientific world new views of what goes on below; it has been successfully attached to 30 different species of marine creatures, including sharks, turtles, seals, penguins and whales. There are now plans for deployment on even birds and bears.
We spent the whole of the day in the rhythm of the feeding whales and felt fortunate to be exposed to breaking research that may help to explain these extraordinary behaviors.
