Sailing through whale breakfast
Posted by Irene onboard the Esperanza
Humpback whale fluke.
©Greenpeace/Berg
We launched a boat, so that Leandra and Jetske could deploy the hydrophone again. Leandra is back on the ship now, and she says there is definitely sound recorded this time. As far as we know there has not been any recording in this area before. The whales' sounds are different here, as if they only passed each other brief messages.
As mentioned earlier the humpbacks also tend to be less exhibitionistic here than in Brazil. The whales come here to feed, and breaching is mating behaviour. In the Southern Ocean they focus on eating, maybe you could say that they don't waste energy on jumping out of the water when there is krill around to eat.
I saw them breaching only a couple of times this morning; one of them right next to the ship. It would have been the perfect picture, had my memory card not been filled at that very moment! But hopefully we got plenty of pictures that can contribute to the photo identification programme.
The Esperanza is steaming ahead, and we haven't found the whalers yet as you have probably already figured out.
The Australian surveillance vessel Oceanic Viking has still not left port, and to the best of our knowledge the aerial surveillance to find the fleet has not happened. Furthermore there are rumours that the minke whales survey has been cancelled, reportedly because of lack of time. But if you can kill whales until March, then you can count them until March.
Non-lethal research is key to understanding whale habits and determining populations; if plans for such vital science are being dropped it will give the Japanese government's whaling fleet an excuse to fill the gap by continuing to harpoon nearly a thousand whales, while claiming it is sustainable.
On both a political and diplomatic level, the Australian government still has the chance to lead by example, not just talking up non-lethal research, but actually carrying it out.
- Iréne
(We're currently editing sound and pictures onboard, meanwhile here is one of my amateur snapshots. Check back soon!)
Comments
Hi Irene
i saw some of the humpbacks on the Esperanza's live web cam this morning. It was great. Really exciting. Sitting here in my apartment "virtual" whale watching.
Posted by: John Bowler | January 7, 2008 6:27 AM
Just beautiful. WOW.
I wish I was there!
Posted by: Nicole | January 7, 2008 6:41 AM
Hey John - pretty cool isn't it!
Some were published on the Esperaza webcam Flickr group I noticed.
I am currently trying to set up more webcams for you, running around on deck with a cable and some gaffa tape.
Posted by: Irene | January 7, 2008 6:53 AM
Thanks to volunteer Eric, we can see some of the shots on his Esperanza Webcam Flickr Group.
Here's a humpy coming up.
Posted by: Brianfit | January 7, 2008 9:47 AM
That sounds amazing. Were they breaching and checking you guys out? Can't wait to see the pictures.
Posted by: Stacey | January 7, 2008 12:10 PM
Wonderful! Must be fun being there... wishing our planet a beautiful future and lots of biodiversity!
Cheers!
Posted by: Harshad Sharma | January 7, 2008 12:25 PM
From Perth Today newspaper :
"THE Oceanic Viking customs ship will leave Western Australia this week on a 20-day Japanese whaling monitoring mission, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.
The ship is still at HMAS Stirling Naval Base, south of Perth, despite a December 19 promise it would be out monitoring Japanese whalers within days.
"I am advised that the Oceanic Viking will leave this week,'' Mr Smith told reporters in Perth.
He would not say which day the ship would leave.
But he said its mission would be "coordinated'' with several days of aerial surveillance.
The timing of the operation was to maximise its chances of success in gathering video and photographic evidence for a potential international court case against Japan, Mr Smith said when asked why the mission had not left earlier.
"All of the decisions that were made in respect of the Oceanic Viking have been made on the basis of maximising the potential of 20 days of successful activity. "
Posted by: petedown | January 7, 2008 12:38 PM
I really, really wished I were there with you. Seeing whales in such an amount at the same time must be great.
I hope you succeed in your attempt to stop the whalers.
Posted by: Sybren | January 7, 2008 10:58 PM
Hi Irene,
On the topic of the Australian government- can you confirm/deny/comment on this recent SSCS article?
http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_080106_1.html
A brief excerpt: "Sea Shepherd has now been informed that the Australian government is now working in cooperation with the Japanese government to prevent Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace ships from intercepting the Japanese vessels."
Posted by: Julian | January 8, 2008 12:26 AM
I saw that too, Julian, and am very curious about it.
SSCS declares that "U.S. Naval Intelligence Civil Maritime Analysis Department (NIMA) which according to the website of the Cetacean Research Institute of Japan is monitoring the movements of Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace ships by Satellite and relaying the coordinates to the Japanese fleet," and to prove it, offers a link to an ICR press release dated 05 JAN 06. Hmmmm. That was then, this is now, no?
Also, the linked NIMA report ostensibly proving that US Naval Intelligence is currently monitoring GP and SSCS is a report dated 28 FEB 07.
U.S. Naval Intelligence may indeed be monitoring what's going on down there, but these reports offered by SSCS do not PROVE that. They prove that NIMA was watching last year and the year before. Slight but real difference.
What SSCS and GP need to do is recruit a spy within Naval Intelligence who can feed it the whalers' locations, which are also being monitored by satellite by the U.S. That might be a useful and interesting political action campaign in anticipation of WhaleKill 2008-2009.
JG Moebus (S/V WayFinder) Half Moon Bay, CA USA
Posted by: JG Moebus (S/V WayFinder) | January 8, 2008 7:27 AM
congratulations - and many thanks - for the two additional webcams. It is great to "be with you onboard". Several times per day I have a look at those fantastic - and quiet - still images.
Good luck with the chase to come !
Posted by: francois | January 8, 2008 12:17 PM
Amazing!!! Truly Amazing! Keep up the good work guys!
Posted by: Loyaltya | January 8, 2008 3:22 PM
Absolutly fabulous guys and gals what can i say but your lucky to be amongst so many beutiful humpbacks ,shame about the ariel survey not coming tho but irene you sure got your work cut out to let us landlubbers take a good look at whats happening on the boat and off it of course good luck and happy sailing adrian
Posted by: Adrian Stapleton | January 9, 2008 10:11 PM