MAIACETUS: 178 sightings and >700 animals...in 6 days!

MMO work on CCGS J.P. Tully earthquake survey July 2010

Wow, it's been a lo-o-o-ong time since I've blogged! It's amazing how the time flew by in 2011. I was hoping to re-cap 2010 last January but, as is obvious, I never got around to it. I had another amazing year in 2011 having worked consistently on Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) contracts in Africa. In addition to this I finally committed myself to working as a research assitant on the Humpback whale and dolphin research project in Zanzibar, Tanzania. It was a great year, but first...time to catch up on 2010!!

2010 was my first full year working as an MMO/PAM operator. I finished my first contract of the year in the Gulf of Mexico in June and, fortunately, shortly after I completed that contract I was offered a position as an MMO on the Canadian Coast Guard vessel the J.P. Tully. The Tully was heading to the offshore waters of Vancouver Island for the Seajade survey which was a joint survey collecting both passive and active seismic data off Vancouver Island. The expedition operated in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada (Public Safety Geoscience Program and Gas Hydrate Program), the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and the United States (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the U.S. Geological Survey).

The end goal of the research project was to fill a critical knowledge gap in the assessment of earthquake hazard due to the Cascadia subduction fault. The survey area was on the continental slope, roughly from the entry point of Juan de Fuca Strait to the Nootka Fault Zone located off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

During the survey us three MMOs conducted visual observations during all daylight hours; we were there to ensure the crew conducting the survey operated under guidelines created to minimise acoustic disturbance to marine mammals and we certainly were busy!

Over the six days we conducted our visual surveys we observed over 700 individuals in 178 sightings of which half of these were Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli). Other species we observed included: 6 Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), 1 harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), 36 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 29 killer whales (Orcinus orca), 1 minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), 17 northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), 3 northern right whale dolphins (Lissodelphis borealis), 122 Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhychus obliquidens), 11 sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and 1 Steller sea lion (Eumatopias jubatus).

This was an amazing survey for us and it reminded us of just how rich the marine wildlife off the coast of Vancouver Island and BC is, something we must try to keep in mind when we are back onshore conducting our normal day to day activities!

Following 6 photos: Pacific white sided dolphins (Lagenorhychus obliquidens) coming to bow ride alongside the J.P. Tully

One of the members of the survey crew preparing to deploy an Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) which will be used to record seismic activity from the seabed floor ~2000 m below us

Crew retrieving the OBS once it returned to the surface...with an ever present Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) coming along to check things out!

Following three photos: Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) who stuck around the boat for a while and played with this piece of bull kelp...very entertaining to watch indeed and certainly didn't seemed concerned about our presence!

Approaching Ucluelet, to pick up a part, on a beautiful sunny day

My co-MMOs enjoying our arrival in Ucluelet: although we weren't out very long we still appreciated the return to shore and some time to wander around town, enjoy the sun and check out the Ucluelet Aquarium