Support for health assessments of Southern Resident Killer Whales

Dr. Fearnbach and colleagues recently received funding to continue their project Monitoring the Nutritional Health of Southern Resident Killer Whales from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and partners. This study will continue using unmanned multi-copter drones to measure the body condition, growth and pregnancy rates of endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Results will be relayed to management agencies in both the U.S. and Canada to help support management solutions for maintaining an adequate food supply for this endangered population.

Aerial image of the J31 and her young calf J56 from the Southern Resident killer whale population. Image was collected by SR3 and NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in September 2019 using an unmanned octocopter flown non-invasively >100ft above the whales under NMFS permit #19091.

New publication on Northern Resident Killer Whales!

SR3’s Dr. Fearnbach and colleagues from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Vancouver Aquarium’s Coastal Ocean Research Institute and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Ocean and recently published a paper in Endangered Species Research (https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2019/40/n040p183.pdf) on their aerial photogrammetry study of Northern Resident killer whales (NRKWs). Based on four years of drone imagery off northern Vancouver Island, this study documented growth to smaller adult sizes of NRKWs in recent decades, mirroring the growth trends Fearnbach and colleagues previously reported for endangered Southern Resident killer whales (https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr_oa/n013p173.pdf) and providing further evidence of correlated prey limitation in both populations. This evidence of constrained growth suggests that the effects of nutritional stress are not only lethal at times, but also have long-term consequences for the condition of whales in both populations.

Vertical aerial image of Northern Resident killer whales. Such images are being used to compare their growth and body condition to that of endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Image collected using an unmanned hexacopter at altitude of >100ft above the whales, permitted in Canada under the Species at Risk Act and flight authorizations from Transport Canada.

A happy ending to Friday the 13th!

It was a multi-day, community effort that ended in a humpback whale swimming free after it was successfully disentangled in Monterey Bay on Friday, December the 13th. Responders from the Pacific Large Whale Entanglement Response Network, including staff from the Marine Life Studies’ Whale Entanglement Team (WET)®, Cascadia Research, SR3 Sealife Response Rehab and Research, and The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC), successfully removed all the fishing gear that was wrapped around the body of the young whale.

The whale was first reported by a fisherman on December 9th and the US Coast Guard vessel Pike responded to and stood by until the response team arrived, but due to the whale’s unpredictable behavior it was lost. The following day the whale was spotted by Sea Spirit Ocean Safari, but unfortunately it was too late in the day to mount a response. On December 11th, a multi-agency search of Monterey Bay was conducted from sunrise to sunset and included: USCG aircraft, the USCG vessel Pike, a Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary vessel, a WET® team, and a Cascadia/SR3/TMMC team. Although the search turned up over 40 humpback whales, the entangled whale was not relocated.

Luckily on Friday the 13th, TowBoatUS saw the entangled whale and reported it to USCG. The WET® team was on the water nearby and able to relocate the whale and stand-by while network responders from SR3, Cascadia and TMMC mustered. The response team determined the configuration was life-threatening and the constricting wrap would cut into the whale’s body as it continued to grow. The team added 5 large buoys to help the fast-moving whale slow down and to stay near the surface. While being pulled behind the whale in a small inflatable boat, they were able to make a single cut to the line running across the whale’s back. The whale reacted sharply as all the gear quickly fell away and the whale swam away vigorously.

Many thanks to the USCG for their outstanding support conducting the search and the reporting parties who reported and documented the entanglement. The response was a success because of the support from so many members of the community and highlights the importance of standing by an entangled whale while calling 1-877-SOS-WHALe (1-877- 767-9245) or hail the United States Coast Guard on VHF CH-16.

All whale rescues are permitted under NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program # 18786-04.

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Sea Otter Champions, Kim and Bryan

Once hunted to extinction in Washington and Oregon, sea otters from Alaska were used to reestablish populations in the 1970s. There is a small, slowly recovering population here today, but they now face new man-made threats. The possibility of an oil spill in their habitat is a major, growing concern due to increased shipping traffic in the region. To prevent this species from arriving at the brink of extinction again, SR3 is preparing to help them in the event of an oil spill.

Sea otters are particularly vulnerable to the effects of an oil spill for several reasons. In the Pacific Northwest, the population of sea otters tend to cluster into large groups. Not only that, but the primary habitat where they gather is located near busy shipping lanes. An oil spill in their area would likely compromise a large portion, if not almost the entire population. Their fur, which they rely on to survive in our cold waters, is also the densest in the animal kingdom and would become matted with oil, quickly leading to hypothermia.

Knowing these risks and challenges, SR3 consulted with partners to figure out how to best prepare for sea otter rehabilitation and rescue, whether from oil spills or other entanglements, illnesses, or injuries. Partnering with the Washington Department of Fish Wildlife, we started creating an emergency response plan to ensure swift and effective action should the worst happen.

A response effort of this kind will also require specialized equipment which is not available for sale or made by any manufacturer. Instead we turned to our network of skilled volunteers, putting out a call for people who could help build a unique cart to effectively and safely transport sea otters.

Kim and Bryan, two SR3 volunteers with some excellent carpentry skills, responded to our call for help building a custom transport cart for sea otters.

Kim and Bryan, two SR3 volunteers with a passion for helping marine wildlife and some excellent carpentry skills, responded to our call. Working only off of a picture and some notes from other out-of-state marine wildlife centers, the pair took on the task.

Mishka, resident sea otter at the Seattle Aquarium, was eager to help test out Kim and Bryan’s prototype. Photo credit: Seattle Aquarium

Once a prototype was complete, SR3 partnered with the Seattle Aquarium to have their resident sea otters put it to the test. The otters brought their curiosity to the table, exploring the cart and giving us ample opportunity to verify if the dimensions and features of the cart would work well. The test was a success!

To ensure we are prepared to help as many otters as possible in the event of a crisis, we now had to build several additional carts. What better way to do that than a party?! More of our skilled volunteers generously gathered for what will be the first of several afternoon work parties and completed another four carts.

Thanks to the dedication of these volunteers, and generous grantors like the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Sea Otter Foundation and Trust, sea otters in the Pacific Northwest are now one step closer to life-saving care!

If you want to get involved with helping marine wildlife like Kim and Bryan, you can sign up as a volunteer here.

Fall Southern Resident Killer Whale Health Monitoring Update

SR3’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach and colleagues Dr. John Durban (NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center) and Jessica Farrer (SR3) completed a successful field effort as part of their long-term health assessment monitoring project of the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population. The team used an unmanned octocopter drone to non-invasively collect high-resolution aerial images of 63/73 whales in the population, including whales from all three social pods (“J”, “K” and “L” pods).These images will be measured to monitor growth and body condition of individually-identifiable whales of known age and life-history. Morphometric measurements will be compared to a 12-year time series for the same whales to infer changes in nutritional health and support management actions aiming to maintain an adequate food supply.  

Aerial images of endangered Southern Resident killer whales in L-pod collected in September 2019. These images will be used in photogrammetry analyses of growth and body condition. Images obtained using a remotely-piloted octocopter that was flown >100ft above the whales under NMFS Research Permit #19091.

Field update! Southern Resident Killer Whale Health Assessments

SR3’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach and colleagues Dr. John Durban (NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center) and Jessica Farrer (SR3) have had a successful start to a new round of fieldwork as part of their long-term project to monitor the health of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs). Similar to previous efforts, an unmanned octocopter drone is being used to non-invasively collect high-resolution aerial images of individual SRKWs to monitor growth and evaluate body condition. In only twelve flights, the team has efficiently collected aerial photogrammetry images of all members of J-pod and all but one member of K pod (38 whales of the total population of 73). Field efforts with continue through the start of October and all images will be analyzed to continue supporting recovery actions aimed at maintaining an adequate food supply.

Another SRKW publication! Holly and colleagues from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, the Center for Whale Research and Vancouver Aquarium’s Coastal Ocean Research Institute recently published a paper in Marine Mammal Science (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.12642) presenting a novel statistical analysis to evaluate the utility of aerial photogrammetry metrics for killer whales, with Southern Resident killer whales as a case study. The photogrammetry and data analysis methods presented in this paper will continue to help fill key data gaps of if and when the SRKW population is nutritionally stressed to help inform adaptive management actions.

Aerial image of the J16 matriline from September 2019. Image by SR3 and NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, obtained using an unmanned octocopter that was flown >100ft above the whales under NMFS permit #19091.

ASSESSING Killer Whale Health in a rapidly warming marine ecosystem

Aerial photograph of a Type A killer whale carrying an elephant seal in her mouth in the Antarctic Peninsula. This image was collected from >30m (100ft) above the whales using a small unmanned hexacopter. Research conducted under NMFS Permit No. 19091 and Antarctic Conservation Act Permit ACA 2017-029. Photo credit: John Durban and Holly Fearnbach.

SR3’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach and her colleagues from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center and the Center for Whale Research just published a paper in Polar Biology on the movements and abundance of Type A killer whales around the Antarctic Peninsula. This is an important step in learning how these top predators are faring in this rapidly warming marine ecosystem. An increase in abundance of Type A killer whales was documented during the study, likely a response to changing ice conditions that increased access to new feeding areas, and also perhaps a result of increasing local abundance of their primary prey species, minke whales and elephant seals (see photo). The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming regions on the planet and studying the health and status of whale populations allows us to understand the health of the ecosystem that supports them. An understanding of these changes is required to manage human activities sustainably and conserve this relatively pristine environment. Much of this research was conducted from Lindblad Expeditions’ eco-tourism ships, with support from the Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic Conservation Fund. Analysis of the photographic dataset was supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The manuscript can be read at https://rdcu.be/bKw9l

Aerial images document Southern Resident killer whale J17’s continued decline

Drone-derived aerial images collected last week during a research collaboration between SR3 and NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center have documented a continued decline in body condition of an adult female Southern Resident killer whale, J17. More details are provided by NOAA's West Coast Regional Office at http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/stories/2019/15_05152019-srkw-j17.html. These new data highlight the vulnerability of these endangered whales and the value of our non-invasive aerial photogrammetry to provide key information on whale health to support conservation actions.

Aerial images of adult female Southern Resident killer whale “J17," displaying very poor body condition on May 6th 2019. Note the white eye patches that trace the outline of her skull due to a reduction in fat around the head. Her condition is contrasted to September 2018, when she was also very lean but had not yet developed such an obvious "peanut head", and to September 2015 when she was clearly pregnant (note width at mid body) and in peak recent condition. Images obtained by Holly Fearnbach (SR3) and John Durban (NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center) using a remotely-piloted drone under NMFS Research Permit #19091.

5th year of gray whale health assessments

SR3’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach and colleagues from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center have had a successful start to their gray whale health assessment project off Piedras Blancas Lighthouse near Big Sur, CA. This is the fifth year of this project and the team uses an unmanned octocopter to collect high resolution vertical images of gray whales as they migrate northwards along the coast of North America from breeding grounds off Mexico to productive feeding grounds in the Arctic. The aerial images will be analyzed to assess the body condition of females and the growth of their calves to understand trends in reproductive success. So far this year they have collected images of 22 female/calf pairs and 1 juvenile, adding to 228 pairs they have imaged since the start of the study. This is the final week of the project and then Holly is off to San Juan Island for a month-long aerial health assessment of the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales. More updates to come!

Aerial image of a female/calf gray whale pair as they migrate past Piedras Blancas Lighthouse on the coast of Central California. Image taken from an unmanned octocopter >150ft above the whales, with flights over whales authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Field update from Southern California

What a week! SR3’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach and her colleagues from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center completed two more dolphin surveys in the coastal waters off San Diego County. They were able to collect photo-identification images of and fly a small, unmanned hexacopter over 40 individual dolphins, bringing the count to over 100 individuals this year! Images collected on these surveys will be analyzed to assess the health and monitor the status of this local population of bottlenose dolphins. This study is supported by the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, SR3, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, and Pacific Life Foundation.

Aerial images of two groups of coastal bottlenose dolphins off San Diego County. Images were taken with an unmanned hexacopter at >80ft altitude, with authorization under NMFS permit #19091.