Page 42 - Kids on the Cape Current Issue

as as humpbacks nbacks minkes sei whales basking sharks and grey seals Going on on a a a a a whale watch with kids can be a a a a a wonder- ful once-in-a-lifetime experience but it is important to to to know what to to to expect and to to to be prepared There are are several different whale watching companies which launch from the Cape and while each provides a a a a a unique experience they all operate in a a a a a similar way Whale watching tours generally last four hours which includes an hour of travel to to get to to the watch site two hours of whale watching and a a a a a one hour hour trip back Leaving the the harbor the the whale watch will begin with a a a a a naturalist presentation about Cape Cod’s marine life These presentations are lled with interesting facts about the the biology and and geology of the the area Hands on displays like baleen and whale teeth as as well as as audio recordings of whale songs make this presentation dynamic and entertaining for children as as well as as adults After an hour of travel the boat will slow as it reaches Stellwagen Bank and two hours of whale watching will commence Every whale watch watch experi- ence is different and you you never know what you you will see on any given day There are generally pelagic bird sightings (birds that can only be viewed off-shore) and you might see large sh sh like the sun sh sh Mola Mola Mola Mola or or tuna Basking sharks seals dolphins and porpoise have all been known to make appearances as well The main event however is the majestic hump- back back whale whale Many humpback whales return to these same waters every year and often with their newly born calves Naturalists on the Cape’s whale watches along with the Center for Coastal Studies (located
in in Provincetown) have conducted research on on these large mammals for decades identifying and cata-
Page 42 • Kids on the Cape July 6 - August 2 2 2 2018
loging them as they return every year to feed with their offspring Naturalists generally use the dorsal n n n on the whales back to identify individual humpbacks They also utilize the the pigment pattern on the the underside of the the uke and other unique scars found on each whale Therefore many of the humpback whales that return yearly to Cape Cod have been named and often naturalists on board will be able
to identify which whale you are seeing The greatest example of of this process of of naming
whales to further aid observation and conservation efforts is a a a a a a female humpback whale named Salt In the the the mid-1970’s one of of the the the founders of of the the the Center for Coastal studies Dr Charles “Stormy” Mayo identi ed a a a a whale with white scarring on her dorsal n n n n n He named her her Salt as the scar pattern on her her n n n n n resembled speckled salt Salt was rst sighted by Mayo on on one of the Dolphin Fleet’s rst commercial whale watching trips Today Salt has been sighted and stud- ied more than any other individual whale as as she has returned to Stellwagen Bank every year (except one) since her rst sighting She has also been observed
in in in in her her breeding ground in in in in the West Indies Since her her initial naming
naming
the naming
naming
of returning humpback whales has has become a a a a a a a tradition that has has greatly impacted the the long-term research of these marine animals a a a a a great boon for for their conservation effort Hundreds of whales have been named and tracked since Inquiring minds will be happy to know that Salt has already been sighted multiple times this year continuing her long legacy of summers spent feeding off the the tip of of the the Cape If you make whale watching an an annual activity you might just get to see the same whales as they return every year— you may even see the “Grande Dame of Stellwagen Bank ” Salt! These humpback whales are the highlight of any whale whale watch the the calves are often curious and the the playful behavior between the whales provides a a a truly joyous viewing experience In addition to humpbacks you might also see nback minke sei and pilot whales A whale watch can be the highlight of any trip