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Related Areas of Study

Learning to identify whales, you’ll also learn a lot about yourself. The weather can alternate between mild and freezing, you must eliminate all distractions, and depending on your personality, it’s either lonely or perfect.

Then, movement on the horizon, and we learn that a single whale’s journey could be longer than we thought possible.

Allied Whale/Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co. Research Assistant Positions: 2024 Field Season

AW RA/Intern position 2024

Allied Whale (AW), the marine mammal research lab of College of the Atlantic, and Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co. (BHWW) seeks 4 interns/research assistants for the 2024 field season. These are entry-level research positions designed to offer experience for individuals seeking to develop their professional careers in marine mammal research. One summer position (May 15 through August 31) and three full season positions (May 15 through October 15) are available.

Overview of position: This is a unique internship program in that the selected individuals will have the opportunity to participate and receive training in a wide range of marine mammal research activities Allied Whale while also working as a crew/scientist aboard commercial whale watching
trips operating from Bar Harbor, Maine. Allied Whale currently supports field projects in the trophic ecology of humpback and fin whales, the ongoing housing and maintenance of the North Atlantic humpback and fin whale photo-identification (photo-ID) catalogs, an active stranding response program, and a research/education partnership with Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co. In addition,
Allied Whale maintains the facilities on and conducts research from Mount Desert Rock, a remote offshore island. The interns play a critical role in the success of the field season and serve as support to all aspects of summer activities within both Allied Whale and Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co.

Description of duties: Upon arrival in May, all interns will receive research, boat crew, and Gulf of Maine natural history training by both Allied Whale and the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company staff. As the Allied Whale field season does not begin until early June- the first several weeks
will be focused on hands-on training of whale watch deckhand responsibilities, helping with boat maintenance, and assisting with whale photo-identification and catalog work in the office or stranding response.

Once the season is in full swing, interns will rotate through shifts working as a Research Assistant/Deckhand (RA) for the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co., shifts in the Allied Whale office, shifts at the Mount Desert Rock field station, and time off. Every week, schedules will be different and weather dependent. A typical week in June-August may include 2-4 days scheduled as researchers on Whale Watch vessels, 1-2 days scheduled in the office, and two days off (these days may or may not be consecutive). Weather may cause shifts to be canceled and some weeks may be lighter in
load or responsibilities.

Below are specific expectations for each designated shift:
Whale watch trips: Research responsibilities on the whale watch trips include searching for whales, photo-identification of whales, and behavioral data collection. RAs will also collect pelagic seabird data during offshore travel to the whale feeding areas. Beyond research, RAs are responsible for assisting the naturalist in promoting education and conservation programs on each trip. In this, maintaining a positive, professional, and friendly demeanor while engaging whale watch passengers
and fellow crew is necessary. Deckhand responsibilities include line handling, vessel cleaning, helping seasick passengers, and passenger safety. When whale watch trips cancel for weather, crew may be asked to report for duty to complete maintenance on the vessel.

Allied Whale office shifts: On scheduled office days, interns will be required to be available in the Allied Whale office from 9AM-4PM. During those hours, interns will match individual whales to our catalog, enter their whale watch data into the database, manage the Adopt-a-whale program, answer phone calls to the office, and be on call for assisting with response to strandings or necropsies. Interns schedule for office shifts will also be on call for boat research days.

Allied Whale boat research days: When weather permits, interns will assist Allied Whale staff and graduate students on trips offshore to collect biopsy samples of humpback and fin whales. While on board one of the research vessels, interns will be responsible for collecting photo-identification of whales and recording data. Interns will be responsible for processing images from these trips. If schedule allows, RAs may also participate in an overnight trip to collect samples in Canada.

Mount Desert Rock: We hope for interns to also complete several shifts (each at least a week in length) at our offshore research station Mount Desert Rock. While on the island, interns will participate in land-based whale monitoring from the lighthouse tower, seal counts, gull counts, and
maintenance/construction projects at the station. Interns will also receive experience working in a remote off-the-grid location. Once hired, RAs will work to develop a collaborative group project (on seal colony, intertidal community, nesting birds, jellies, etc.) and will take turns with data collection during their shifts offshore. RAs will also stay in contact with the BHWW office with sightings reports.

Pay/Housing: Those accepted to the program are able to earn income by their work on the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company. Deckhands are paid $70 a trip (at the height of summer, there are 2 trips running a day). Interns also receive free First Aid Certification. Provided housing in downtown Bar Harbor is mandatory for a fee. Rent for the season will total approximately $2080 for summer interns and $2350 for full season interns. While at Mount Desert Rock, food is provided for free. **After August 31, if any of the summer interns are interested they are welcome to work full time for the remainder of the season as crew for the BHWW as deckhand/galley on lighthouse trips,
nature cruises, whale watches, and cruise ship tendering operations.

Qualifications: Applicants should have a college background or be currently enrolled in a biology, ecology, and/or marine sciences program. Previous data collection experience in a research setting and/or knowledge of marine mammals are great advantages. While training will be provided and no prior boating/camera experience is required, time spent offshore or skills in photography are also assets. Due to Coast Guard requirements, all crew onboard US commercial vessels and therefore all research assistants/interns, must be US citizens or have permanent resident alien status. Also, all interns will be drug screened prior to employment and will be enrolled in a random drug testing program. Most importantly, applicants must be positive in attitude, flexible to quickly changing
schedules, able to work independently, and be seaworthy/comfortable working on boats in rough weather. Lastly, because of the community living situation both in Bar Harbor and on Mount Desert Rock, applicants must get along well with others and be able to handle working in a team setting.

To apply: Please send a cover letter detailing your reasons for applying, a resume, and two letters of recommendation via email to AlliedWhale.Internships@gmail.com. Recommendation letters may either be sent with the application or directly from the references.

Please specify which position you are interested in (summer or full-season). Deadline is February 23rd.

Allied Whale and the College of the Atlantic are committed to inclusive excellence. We strive toward an open and diverse community that fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized or underrepresented in higher education. More information about the college’s commitment and strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion can be found here: https://www.coa.edu/about/dei/

 

First Ireland - Canada humpback re-sighting

IWDG logos

Humpback whales found in Irish waters are known to travel north and south along the eastern North Atlantic, but one whale was unexpectedly found over 3,300 km nearly due west.

On Jan 17th 2010, a humpback whale was observed and reported to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) Sighting Scheme by local IWDG members in inshore waters off Hook Head, County Wexford on the Irish south east coast. Over the following days a team from the IWDG successfully obtained a biopsy sample, under licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and secured photo-identification images. The biopsy confirmed this to be a male, and observations enabled the team to determine that this was a sub-adult specimen. The images of the ventral fluke and dorsal fin confirmed that this was a new humpback whale previously undocumented in Irish waters and so it was added to the Irish Humpback Whale Catalogue curated by the IWDG and allocated a unique ID of #HBIRL11. As with all humpbacks photographed in Irish waters, images of this individual were shared with our partners at Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA, who manage the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue (NAHWC) and have a database of 11,000+ individual humpbacks. At the time, this whale was determined to be a new individual for the wider North Atlantic catalogue and was allocated a unique ID of na04753.

Can you spot the points of similarity between the tail fluke and dorsal fin markings on this mont...Can you spot the points of similarity between the tail fluke and dorsal fin markings on this montage below? Over eight years some dark areas of the fluke's ventral surface have brightened and the damage to the dorsal fin has healed considerably (Ireland top, Canada lower).

Can you spot the points of similarity between the tail fluke and dorsal fin markings on this montage below? Over eight years some dark areas of the fluke’s ventral surface have brightened and the damage to the dorsal fin has healed considerably (Ireland top, Canada lower).

Research charters by the IWDG and opportunistic whale watching trips run by Martin Colfer confirmed this whale remained in the area over a 42-day period, with 24 confirmed sightings between January 17th and February 28th, all in the waters adjacent to the Hook Head Peninsula (see sightings map). It was regularly observed feeding on sprat and herring, often in the same area as both fin whales and short-beaked common dolphins.

On one particularly memorable day, we observed it from a distance breaching in the fog and approached it, not knowing that it would still be breaching by the time we were within camera range of it. We estimated that it breached on no less than 45 consecutive occasions, and it was our good fortune that we had a film crew from Crossing the Line Films who captured this spectacular display that later showcased on both national and international television on the RTE Wild Journeys series.

There have been no updates on this individual over the past 13 years, as he has not been recorded in Irish waters since. Of course, this doesn’t mean he hasn’t returned, as it is always possible that his movements could have gone undetected. But if he, like so many other “Irish” humpbacks, was a regular returnee to our shores, then we’d reasonably expect that he’d have been recorded at least occasionally. But that all changed with an email from our colleague Lindsey Jones of the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue on February 19th, which gave us the news that this whale was re-sighted in Newfoundland, Canada. This whale had been spotted several times between July 27th and August 18th 2018, and again on June 20th 2021, all around the Bonavista Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada by Kris and Shawna Prince of Sea of Whales Adventures. Sea of Whales Adventures is a whale watching company based in Trinity, Trinity Bay that tracks whale movements and photographs different species of whales around the Bonavista Peninsula on Newfoundland’s east coast. In addition to their work with humpback whales, this company also does photo-identification work with Orcas and sperm whales. Reg Kempen of Billericay, England is an integral part of Sea of Whales’ photo-identification program as he catalogues their data and submits it to the NAHWC at Allied Whale. The catalogue which he has created with the Princes now includes more than 1400 individual humpback whales.

Humpbacks typically exhibit high site fidelity to the feeding ground their mother brought them to as a calf. To our knowledge, this whale, na04753, was not sighted or photographed as a calf or in any year prior to 2018 in Newfoundland, despite lots of photo-identification effort in the region annually.

Sighting locations of whale na04753 in Ireland in 2010 and Newfoundland in 2018 and 2021. The yel...Sighting locations of whale na04753 in Ireland in 2010 and Newfoundland in 2018 and 2021. The yellow line connecting the sightings is the shortest distance between the points, not the migration route of the whale, which is unknown.

This is an important development, as it is so much more than a first humpback match between Ireland and Canada, it is also the first re-sighting between Ireland/British Isles and the western North Atlantic feeding grounds. The fact that this individual has been recorded in two known feeding areas, Newfoundland (Summer) and Irish South coast (Winter), is noteworthy and might call into question notions that this species remain faithful to one particular feeding area.

We extend a huge thanks to our colleagues at the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Sea of Whales and WhalesNfld.

 

First match from the Azores to Newfoundland!

The Azores and Newfoundland are not connected by any of the known migration routes for humpback whales, and workers in these areas would not have expected a humpback to travel from one to the other… but one did.

The whale, na04773 in the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog  (www.coa.edu/allied-whale/research/)  was first seen off the Azores by Nova Atlantis (www.nova-atlantis.org/). It was then seen in Newfoundland waters by Sea of Whales Adventures (www.seaofwhales.com). The distance between these locations is a comparable to that from New York to Houston, or London to Istanbul, about 2,500 km (1,500 miles). 

While the Azores are along the mid-Atlantic Ridge, and very much in the middle of the ocean, all previous resightings have been to habitats in the eastern North Atlantic. Similarly, humpback whales from Newfoundland have only previously been seen in habitats much farther to the west.  

Exciting news!

Thanks a lot Zoltan Korai for the great illustration.

First match of a humpback whale from the Azores to Newfoundland, Canada. Illustration: Zoltan KoraiFirst match of a humpback whale from the Azores to Newfoundland, Canada. Illustration: Zoltan Korai

 

 Long time no see!

On a nice tropical day in late February, Maurina De Wulf went on a whale watching trip from the town of Samana in the Dominican Republic. As a whale enthusiast, Maurina collected fluke photographs of the whales she saw that day and submitted them to the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog. One of those whales was just identified as na3044. 

The last time that whale was seen, Jimmy Carter was president, Mount St. Helens had just erupted, and Abba was jockeying with David Bowie at the top of the music charts. 35 years elapsed in between without the whale being sighted. It would be fascinating to know where it has been.

This resighting not only covers many years, but also many miles. The 1980 sighting was made in Bonavista Bay, off the east coast of Newfoundland, about 2,000 miles from the Dominican Republic. That photo was taken by Jon Lien, a pioneer of non-lethal whale study and a great friend and mentor to many of us at the NAHWC. He passed away some years ago, and it is wonderful to see his labor still bearing fruit.

 

Allied Whale News: 

  • NEWS
    As Seas Warm, Whales Face New Dangers [New York Times]
    From the top of the six-story lighthouse, water stretches beyond the horizon in every direction. A foghorn bleats twice at 22-second intervals, interrupting the endless chatter of herring gulls. At least twice a day, researchers with College of the Atlantic’s Allied Whale climb steps and ladders and crawl through a modest glass doorway to scan the surrounding sea, looking for the distinctive spout of a whale.
  • NEWS
    Acoustic Techniques Point Toward Better Whale Protection
    Data from a massive study using sound-based ocean monitoring methods could help make the case for enhanced protections for endangered North Atlantic right whales, according to whale researcher Dr. Sean Todd, the College of the Atlantic Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Sciences.
  • NEWS
    Coastal Conversations [WERU]
    The Director of College of the Atlantic’s Allied Whale and the Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Sciences Dr. Sean Todd joins a radio conversation to talk coastal Maine, North Atlantic right whales, and our changing oceans.
  • NEWS
    Whale Research to Highlight Impacts of Climate Change
    Upcoming new research into the feeding habits of baleen whales in the Gulf of Maine – one of the fastest-warming bodies of water on the planet – could shed light on impacts of climate change on oceans worldwide.
  • NEWS
    Gear Shop Supports Research Efforts
    College of the Atlantic’s Allied Whale, a pioneering marine mammal research group, launches an online merchandise store to benefit their crucial research projects.