As they have done for more than 20 years, New England Aquarium right whale researchers will head to their seasonal station in Lubec, Maine to catalog North Atlantic right whales. Once they get there, they set up their equipment and immediately start scouring the waters of the Bay of Fundy for right whales to photo ID. This is done during 14 hour days on the water working sighting shifts and meticulously inputting dozens of sightings into data tables.
Some of the more experienced researchers can recognize individuals by callosity patterns on sight. Among the best whale watchers on the NEAQ team is Phillip Hamilton. (Learn his secrets in this instructional photo ID game.)
I just spoke with one of the newer researchers, Jon Cunha. He and his colleagues will be live blogging the season this year starting on August 1. He's keeping a special eye out for a particular whale named Ruffian.
This is Ruffian (Catalog #3530) in September of '07:
And this is Ruffian this February '08:
photos from the New England Aquarium North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog
Somehow, the three-year-old Ruffian suffered massive injuries. The February picture shows huge scarring, to the point of exposed muscle tissue. While the top causes of right whale mortality are ship strikes and entanglements, this particular injury may have been caused by trawling lines.
The good news is that those injuries are healing. Ruffian was seen again this spring on his normal migration route in Cape Cod by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. His wounds were considerably better, and his skin is still black instead of gray, indicating good health.
If the NEAQ researchers see Ruffian in the Bay of Fundy, it will confirm that he is healing, and that it is possible for this individual (much like the species) to come back from the brink.
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