Project insight
WDCS’s Humpback Adoption Project is run through its US subsidiary, WDCS (North America) based on Cape Cod in Massachusetts in the east coast of the US. These eight humpback whales are part of a population that spends the summer months in the Gulf of Maine, off the coast of New England in the USA and Nova Scotia, Canada.
An area within the Gulf where they are often seen is Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, an area of ocean that is recognised for its importance to the whales and other marine creatures. It is whilst they are in the Gulf of Maine that researcher, Regina Asmutis-Silvia, gets a chance to study these whales, report back on who has been seen and what they have been up to. Regina also keeps an eye out for any new calves that are visiting the area with their mothers for the first time. This research is vital in monitoring the size and health of the population.
In order to tell which whale is which, Regina and her colleagues look for the distinctive shapes of dorsal fins and marks on bodies to identify individual humpbacks, but it is their tail flukes that are the best way of telling whales apart. These patterns are as unique as our fingerprints. Researchers photograph the tails and can keep track of individual whales, year after year.
You can help continue this work and help us to ensure a safe future for these magnificent animals by adopting a whale today. Thank you.
You can keep up-to-date with the latest news from the team on our blog at: http://uk.wdcs.org/fieldblog