Whale Tales from Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga

Yesterdays amazing mother and calf

2011-09-28T11:13:00.001+13:00

Wow what a day it was yesterday, beautiful weather and great whales. The full story is here

An interesting mother, calf and escort

2011-09-22T14:38:00.001+13:00

Seeing a mother fight against an escort was incredible, I have never seen a female get this aggressive before.

The full story is here, we saw them again today and all seemed mellow, with the mother bringing the calf over for a swim.

Whale Season 2011- So Far

2011-09-14T14:30:00.000+13:00

For some of the latest information and findings of the whale season this year read this post.

Despite some trying weather the whales have still been very good, some noticeable behaviour changes since 2010. Lots more information to come in the last 5 weeks of the season.

Updates from an amazing day

2011-09-08T19:54:00.000+13:00

Humpback whales are not the only species on the agenda. See here for more details

Fluke Id's 2011 to date

2011-08-25T12:03:00.002+13:00

Fluke Identifications and updates

Blog Merge

2011-08-20T13:40:00.000+13:00

I will be merging this blog with the information over to my other blog, for the latest information and updates please follow along.

The whales have been amazing this year, lots of whales around and very playful both above and below the water.

Time is flying......

2011-08-16T16:19:00.000+13:00

he he so much for daily posts, by the time we get home we can barely stay awake. The last week on the whales has been amazing, so much activity both above and below the water. On Thursday alone we had interaction with 19 whales, and swam with 9 individuals.

Our guests were certainly treated to many highlights during their week stay....... Now if I can get my internet speed up a little I will be able to get some pics up. At the moment I have been mainly doing surface photography, but have no fear my camera is always near..... he he

August 6th 2011

2011-08-06T17:39:00.000+13:00

Good first day for the group despite a later start, couple frolicking around and a curious juvenile. Now off to dinner, will post pictures soon.....

Humpback Whales Day 7 2011

2011-08-02T21:45:00.000+13:00

We will be posting daily updates as the season progresses, our group arrived this morning on the plane and went straight out on the boat........ the weather was warm today, seas were calm with a light northerly breeze.

So far three mother and calves have been spotted, lots of juveniles and sub adults which is a good start for July.

Today was good despite the late start, within 45 minutes our guests had had their first sighting of a whale underwater. Juveniles were playful and breaching right in front of the boat. Tomorrow we are back out there and I have my first whale day.

Its time

2011-08-01T09:51:00.000+13:00

As of tomorrow, I shall be out on the water with the whales, I have had to rest as much as possible since cracking 2 bones in my foot in June, however come hell or high water! I shall be out there.

We have some very interesting studies continuing and starting this year, lots of slideshows to our groups about the conservation, biology and physiology of whales. I will also be doing a slideshow on whales for the Vava'u Regatta week in July.

So happy whales everyone, here is to a great season, full of energy, information and conservation.

Here we go..... the season is here

2011-07-21T12:31:00.000+13:00

The whales have been steadily arriving for the last three weeks, already 2 mother and calf pairs have been spotted.

The cameras are ready to role and the data we collect will again be distributed out for analysis at the end of the season.

Lots of blog posts will be coming as we get underway, some very exciting times ahead and just hoping my foot heals better so I can have a swim this year.......

Snubbed Snub-Fin

2011-06-04T09:33:00.000+13:00

Endangered: Australia's snubfin dophin. Picture: Den Thiele, WWF

Snub-fin dolphins were categorised as their own species in 2005, after being listed under the Irrawady dolphin species. The only native dolphin of Australia, characterized by its bulbous head and small dorsal fin, faces threats of extinction as population estimates find fewer than 1000 mature dolphins.

In May, 2 dead snub fin dolphins were tied down and weighted in a mangrove swamp to disguise the fact that they had been killed in nets.

Currently listed under Queensland law as near threatened, the actions to hide these deaths could have dire effects on the future of the species. In some cases threatened with extinction, the death of only one or two individuals can have tragic consequences on the species survival.

Net fishing kills a lot of marine animals unnecessarily, turtles, marine mammals and sharks but this is not the only threat these dolphins face. Habitat destruction and coastal development also plaque coastal species.

This really is a sad story, and I hope that the Australian government can figure out a way to stop the loss of their only native dolphin.

Full Story is here

Whale Strandings

2011-05-25T10:11:00.000+13:00

Pilot whales are the most common species of cetacean to strand, this article has good information on the different areas and reasons that are being produced for the mass strandings. Just recently here we had 3 Short Finned Pilot whales strand on the East Side, despite efforts from the local community the whales did not survive.

Saving a stranded whale is an extremely hard and desperate situation, time is limited to be able to help the animals and the work involved is extremely hard. See the marine mammal conservancy for their efforts to save the Pilot Whales in Florida.

As the first article said, scientists are learning about changes in the anatomy reported through the necropsy (like and autopsy). Some of these changes include the similar characteristics to the bends that divers can encounter when the limits are pushed and they have surfaced to hard. So why are these changes happening? Cetacean species can dive to over 1000m in the case of the Sperm Whale. Pilot whales are known for shallower dives to 30-60m on average but can go to depths of 600m. The physiological changes that are being seen are being caused by an outside environmental stress. How can we narrow down what the stress is, when there are so many daily changes going on in the ocean.

It will be interesting to follow along the zoological department of the London Natural History Museum to see whether they can narrow down what is happening.

The below pictures are the jaw bones of the recently stranded whales here, identified as Short Finned Pilot Whales by Anton Van Helden.

On their way.....

2011-05-20T14:28:00.000+13:00

The South Pacific Humpback whales are making their long migration back from the Antarctic feeding grounds to their warm water breeding grounds in the South Pacific. The first Humpback whale for 2011 has been sighted off Brisbane, possibly the famous white Migaloo that stay off the shores of Australia.

In the South Pacific their are vital breeding grounds for the South Pacific Humpback Whale, one of these being Vava'u in Tonga. So as we start preparing all our equipment for the upcoming season between July and mid-October, the excitement to see the whales back again builds.

This year we are helping with some additional data collection and we will write more about this as we go.
We will also be continuing on our fluke identification which we share with the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium, as well as the song recording of the male singers.

Lets hope the whales have an easy and peaceful migration, they are heavy and full of the rich krill and antarctic food, as well as the calves developing inside the females that successfully mated last year.

Fluke id's 2010

2011-05-09T11:39:00.000+13:00

Back to basics

2010-12-27T09:39:00.000+13:00

yes we are talking about Krill again. Why? No matter how we try to protect animals such as cetaceans, penguins, fish and sharks. If we ignore what is going on to the basics of the food chain, then any conservation area will not succeed...... This article again high lights the decline in Krill, due to the harvesting and also to the changes in the ice caps.

In two tows, Bernard and Funkey caught just 49 krill. Most were about a year old and less than a half-inch long. “It used to be so easy to catch krill,” said Bernard, looking a bit forlorn at the lean catch. “But in the last five or six years we’re seeing dramatic declines.

Declining Krill stocks are allowing other competing zooplankton to grow such as the small translucent salps. Similar to a jellyfish in looks, however not a jellyfish, scientists are still trying to figure out if salps and krill can cohabit the same area and whether they have the nutritional value of krill up the food chain. Salps are more common in temperate water zones, however they seem to fare better in warmer waters than krill would.

Attention to ocean protection has to come from the base forms of food and life, protecting individual species does not work if the ecosystem is left unmonitored and unsustainable.

For more information on the work being done on the Krill populations read Susan Morans blog

UnderwaterTimes | Boycott Launched To Save Imperiled Bluefin Tun

2010-12-04T11:43:00.000+13:00

UnderwaterTimes | Boycott Launched To Save Imperiled Bluefin Tuna

As the latest ICCAT meeting failed to limit catches of the endangered Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, the Center for Biological Diversity have asked for consumers and restaurants to boycott Blue fin Tuna as a dish. If the demand is not there from the consumer, this could give a better impact of how consumers are viewing the species they are eating.

For me this is not hard as I eat nothing from the ocean, but for others fish is a main part of their diet, we all need to make responsible choices no matter what we eat.

For more information please go to http://bluefinboycott.org

New Genetic Surprise for Scientists

2010-11-27T10:15:00.000+13:00

Members of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium Scott Baker and Rochelle Constantine have been carrying out genetic studies on the highly endangered Maui Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori maui. The Maui dolphin is found on the West coast of the North Island of New Zealand, the smallest species of dolphin, the Maui dolphin is threatened by fish nets as well as human interactions on boats. Current populations of the critically endangered species lie between 100 and 150 individuals.

However, the genetic study recently carried out by the University of Auckland and State of Oregon, have found that out of 26 individual Maui dolphins, 2 of them were actually Hector's dolphins, both were females. Hectors dolphins and the Maui dolphin are both sub-species of Cephalorhynchus, and until genetic testing was first carried out, the Maui dolphin was called the North Island Hector. They are genetic difference between the species as well as physical differences.

The Hector's dolphins populations are doing much better, however their habitat is on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

So what does this genetic study prove? One of the principle factors is that the species could inter breed, this would occur if number of one species was threatening their survival.

"The potential for introduction of new genetic diversity through even occasional mating with Hector's dolphins is likely to be good for the long-term survival of the Maui's dolphin," said Rochelle Constantine, a lecturer with the University of Auckland who presented the results at the meeting of the New Zealand Ecological Society today (Nov. 23) in Dunedin, N.Z.

We hope that indeed through the conservation efforts of the Department of Conservation of New Zealand and their associates, as well as maybe some help from the Hectors Dolphins, will be a success and these wonderful and energetic dolphins, can once again begin to thrive in the waters around New Zealand.

For more information on the conservation efforts go to this website.

Short video by our staff

2010-10-17T11:25:00.000+13:00

Whale poop gives the ocean a boost

2010-10-14T12:29:00.000+13:00

in this latest article from conservationists at Vermont University who have discovered that whale poop may help re fertilize the ocean and fish areas. How do they do this? Well most whales defecate near the ocean surface, so instead of the nitrogen sinking to the bottom as in fish poop, the nitrogen stays in the upper water column which attracts algae to it (algae require nitrogen to grow). The fish then feed on this algae in cast quantities. Roman, the conservationist from Vermont University, believes that this might increase conservation efforts on whales through the fishing industry. If you would like to read the full article published it is here. Makes some food for thought!

This diagram shows how nutrients from whale dung move through the ocean ecosystem.

Courtesy of the University of Vermont

The best days

2010-10-01T19:35:00.000+13:00

are always on the ocean, with whales, fish, birds and great people. This week we had a treat to find a courting couple, this is quite late in the season for this behaviour normally that we see in August but this season has been full of surprises. The female was not a full adult but the first male was, she was later joined by 2 other males. The female was more interested in the boat and swimmers than the other male, but perhaps he was happy for the rest!. The guests that enjoyed this trip included Richard Hegarty and his fiancee Nadine.

The pictures below tell a tale both above and underwater of the fantastic encounters we had before passing them over to the film crew from Oceanic Preservation Society and the makers of The Cove.

All of the photos were shot by Richard, trying to decide between topside and underwater viewing. Luckily Rich had enough of both to get some great shots.

What an amazing week we have had, back out tomorrow for more whales....... The first two pictures are of an encounter we had with an unusual and shallow Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalus, this was my first Sperm Whale here in 5 years and brought back many memories of Norway. See the wrinkled skin and the blow at a 45 degree angle to the left. We tried to get in the water but the whale was too shy, and so we enjoyed him from the surface. There was absolutely no excitement from me on this find

Below starts our encounter with an FF, frisky female, she spy hopped over 20 times both close to the guests and the boat. One of the best encounters I have had this year and a real adrenaline pumper.

All pictures © Richard Hegarty 2010

14th September 2010,

2010-09-15T18:37:00.000+13:00

A mother, calf and escort! (exclamation mark is because the third whales was a sub adult, very small compared to the mum. Stunning whales

New id's for 2010

2010-09-12T17:13:00.001+13:00

Seen 3 times in 3 different groups

Calf

All pictures © Karen Stone 2010

Invisible Threat

2010-09-05T17:00:00.000+13:00

I have written about Krill harvesting before but this latest article again highlights the threat not only to the krill populations but also to all the species that rely on krill as a vital resource. Only today I was presenting a slide show on whales to my group and we talked about the threat of krill harvesting, I first became aware of the krill harvesting a few years ago, and it remains unknown by many people. The main uses of krill are for medicines, fish food and dietary supplements, they appear on most major websites but the effects of purchasing these products could have devastating effects by increasing the fisheries demand and creating yet another unsustainable fishery.

Busy

2010-09-02T10:05:00.000+13:00

The Humpback whale season has been keeping us very busy for the last month, the season has been very exciting and quite unique, I am currently putting together our statictics so far for the year and will produce a full report at the end of the season. Flue id's are coming along well and thanks to all those that are collecting fluke id's to add to the catalog.

Here is an interesting story on Orca's, by far one of the most incredible cetacean species. Enjoy.

Sad news for a baby Humpback

2010-08-22T11:20:00.000+13:00

as we are in the midst of our season here in Vava'u, we are relishing the new lives that we see in the calves with their mothers. Sadly a little baby Humpback whale died off the Cornish coast in England, it had become separated from its mother and had located a marker buoy that it was hanging around and trying to nuzzle and potentially feed from.

Humpback whale calves stay roughly 12 months with their mothers and are feeding for them for that time, to maintain their growth rate, they need to put on approx 40-50kg of weight per day. This means continuously having a food supply. The milk from a mother is up to 60% fat, this enables the calf to gain the weight it needs to survive the colder migration routes. The mothers milk would not be able to be reproduced through an aquarium etc to hand feed this calf and raise it. One of the most important parts for a calf is the communication and necessity of contact with its mother. Sadly, there was no way for rescuers to compensate for the mothers absence.

Very sad news.......

Whale season so far

2010-08-22T11:10:00.000+13:00

Every year I promise myself to create daily blog posts about our days on the ocean, but it never seems to happen. Our days are full out on the water, and by the time we come home feed our parrots, catch up on emails, it is time for us to sleep.
But I am digressing already, the season this far has been very good, the whales arrived in the waters of Vava'u around early July but not in the numbers we would normally see. In fact to us the season was about 3 weeks late. We had our first mother and calf swim on the 16th July, but then did not see any more mother and calves till the 4th August.
The large male singers are here now and filling our waters with wonderful sounds and song. Small competition or rowdy pods have formed where the males challenge each other for the female.
Our fluke id project is going strong with 23 fluke id's captured now and will be entered and sorted through as my day evolves.
Not having my underwater housing at the moment, is making me concentrate more on the surface data I can collect, but boy I miss my underwater housing. Anyway again I digress.
Here is one of the 32 breaches a calf did yesterday.....

10 days with Chip

2010-08-22T08:23:00.000+13:00

Chip Scarlett was on our vessel Tonga Tango for the past 10 days. Chip has been an underwater photographer for many years, spanning thousands of dives and ocean encounters. Chip also works hard to preserve and protect the ocean environment, he is on the board of Shark Savers and has recently published a great book on sharks called "Loving Sharks".
Chip was joined on this trip by his wife Susan and Niki and Martin, 2 of the worlds top free divers. Niki and Martin amazed us with their ability to go to 30m without fins on, Sione our staff member learnt heaps of valuable information on better free diving technique.
This was one of Chip's first whale trips, the weather started off on the trip as blowy and blustery, however the swims were short but managed to capture a few pictures. The weather for the second week was much better and allowed us to see many different behaviours both above and below the surface.

Singers were a favourite for the group as this allowed for the best and most consistent swims. Being able to feel, hear and see the singer is an encounter no one should pass up. So for the crew we were looking for singers all over the place. One day we spent some time with a wonderful mother and calf, who became quite settled and allowed some fantastic swims, though they preferred the sun to be behind them which makes capturing the image that much harder.

It was a great trip with wonderful, talented and inspiring guests. Here are a selection of the photos that Chip took.

First Full week....

2010-08-01T10:29:00.000+13:00

this week has been full of activity on the water this week, the weather was quite rainy and windy but we still had some awesome encounters. Our staff, Sione and Romeo have done amazing in the waters, looking after both the guests and the whales.

Busy week next week on the water, lots of id's to collect and work on, can not wait to get back out there....

Our first Humpback Calf of 2010

2010-07-18T09:04:00.000+13:00

the perfect way to spend a birthday by all accounts. The weather was stunning with a light south easterly breeze and a great bunch of people on the boat.

As we were just starting our tour in the morning, I noticed a small splash about 600m away, keeping our eyes peeled we were amazed to see a calf breaching. As we pulled a little closer to look at them, the mother and calf started to head our way, they were very relaxed and all of our swimmers had some amazing encounters.

I drove the boat in order to let our staff Issy and Sione, lead the guests into the water for a guided snorkel.

Here are the dorsal fin shots from both mother and calf, as well as the group that went out with us. I believe the Luck of the Irish was once again on our side.

Calf (above)

Female (below)

Funny things

2010-06-25T20:46:00.001+13:00

My husband and I were sat out on our deck this morning watching the sunrise and talking about the arrival of the Humpback Whales in Vava'u. There is never a set time, it happens every year between the third week of June and 1st week of July approx. As we finished our conversation, we heard a tremendous noise behind us. Lo and behold not a 100m off our deck was an adult and sub adult humpback whale, who took four breaths before they dove again. What a great way to start off a day, and to know that our waters are safe for these whales even if for a short time, there are no hunters here.

Tonga declared a whale protected area in 1979, the first of the South Pacific, we will continue from here to fight for further protection on their migration route and to the complete protection of this wonderful species who will surprise you so early in the morning.......

Many more stories to come as the season builds, new plans, more research, education and a whole heap of whales

Great message from the South Pacific

2010-06-21T13:51:00.000+13:00

Why we need cetaceans in our oceans

2010-06-20T10:00:00.000+13:00

A recent study in the Southern Ocean by scientists has revealed that Sperm Whales pooh helps the oceans to soak up excess carbon. Approx 50 tonnes of iron are released by sperm whales each year, stimulating the growth of microscopic plankton, which absorb CO2 through photosynthesis.

According to the study the process results in approx 400,000 tonnes of carbon being absorbed, which is more than twice the amount released by the whales when they exhale.

Pretty interesting stuff, the increase in plankton also produces more food sources for cetacean species and pelagic fish species. The full story is here.

Not long now

2010-06-13T12:47:00.000+13:00

till our waters are filled with the South Pacific Humpback Whales, Megaptera novaeangliae. These whales have migrated up from the cold waters of the Antarctic for the last few weeks, and are ready to find a mate or bear a calf.

The Oceania population spans itself out through the Polynesian isles with the majority filling our waters here in Vava'u. The population is recovering very slowly after years of being hunted, information gathered in the last few years on the Russian hunting, has shown that over 25,000 Humpbacks were hunted during the two seasons of 1959/60 and 1960/61, causing a population crash.

The IWC gave protection from the commercial hunting of Humpback whales in 1966, but the Soviet union continued to hunt them until 1972. The braveness of the scientists who have come forward to show this information is remarkable. I wish many more countries would come forward and show there tallies so that a better understanding of the population can be gathered.

As the IWC meeting looms just around the corner, the much debated decision on commercial whaling will be placed on the table. Australia remains firm on its stance, as well as taking the whaling industry of Japan to court. The EU seems divided, America shows signs of signing the compromise but we will only know on the day whether:

1) the whales will continue to be hunted without regulated management
2) will we see the end of "commercial whale hunting"
3) will the flaunting of the moratorium continue.

Would the hunting of less whales under a manged plan be better than the current status, or will politics prevail over conservation and a continuation of the current whaling plans of Norway, Iceland, Japan and others?

As we have seen with the Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna, politics often win, so can a combined conservation plan come for once in front of politics and countries stance?

We will see, we can only hope that a decision will be made that benefits those that have the most invested :the cetacean species that have lived and survived in the oceans for millions of years. I hope that a decision will benefit the species, their habitats, food sources and migration routes.

What I fear is another stand off, that things will carry on as they are, that more whales will be hunted and slaughtered worldwide.

So what can we do?

At sea this year we will be continuing and expanding our fluke identification programme, as well as recording the wonderful song of the male whales as they sing for a mate and to show dominance. All our data collected is sent to the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium who study all cetacean species in the Pacific.
We will also be offering slide shows to our groups for further information on cetaceans, and a small gift for each of our guests to take home with them.
Continuing to support and promote sustainable tourism in small countries who are whom to Cetacean species, both by creating jobs for locals and awareness programmes in schools and communities.

These whales that come to the waters of Vava'u offer us a wonderful insight into their lives and behaviours. We are privileged to be able to watch these magnificent creatures and we look forward to sharing these experiences with you this year.

IWC to meet on return to commercial whaling.........

2010-04-02T07:46:00.000+13:00

In 1986 the IWC banned commercial whaling so that stocks may recover from the open hunting of previous decades. Though whaling was first recorded in 3,000 BCE, coastal communities have carried out sustenance whaling and the harvesting of beached whales, it was not until the 17th Century that whaling fleets emerged. During the 18th and 19th Centuries began the competitive national whaling industries and the introduction of the factory ships along with the concept of whale harvesting in the early 20th century.

By the late 1930's more than 50,000 whales were killed annually and during the middle of the 1900's stocks were unable to replenish themselves and a small collapse in the industry was seen.

In 1986, when the IWC banned international whaling, it allowed for subsistence whaling to continue under regulations, this is carried out by US, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Faroe Islands, Russia and more. Norway and Iceland, carry out commercial whaling through placing an objection on an IWC regulation. Japan also hunt whales under scientific research, though they sell the whale meat on the market. (This is not the point for discussion).

The IWC will meet again in April, and it looks as though the ban on commercial whaling may be lifted. Surprising support for this ban has come from NZ, the hope from them is that under commercial whaling, stricter quotas may be enforced in the end lessening the number of whales caught.

The other side of the coin is that the lifting of the ban may well see more countries recommence whaling, therefore increasing the number of vessels out there and the number of whale species targeted and caught.

Next week I am attending the Consortium meeting in NZ, I would love to hear your thoughts on the pro's and cons of return to commercial whaling.......

1) Will it lessen the impact of whaling that continues today?
2) Have certain species regained a sustainable population?

We have to take this subject as non-emotive, this is not about whales are cute and dolphins smile, this is about the very future of this species and needs to be approached methodically......................... I have a perfect world and a realistic world, my perfect world - there would be no whaling, no shark fining or fishing, my realistic world, you will never completely stop these actions so we have to do our best to minimize them and to protect the species.

After the recent letdown and failure of protection on Bluefin Tuna, Shark species and corals to name but a few, the future of conservation looks shaky.

Mystery Deaths of Southern Right Whales.......

2010-03-21T17:14:00.000+13:00

Eubalaena australis are slow swimming baleen whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena, that have been easily preyed upon by hunters in the past. Over the last 5 years, 300 have been found dead off the waters in Patagonia, Argentina. Scientists are teaming up to find out why, as a lot of the deaths have been young calves.

The population of Southern Right Whales are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red Species List, and estimates put the population between 7,000 and 10,000.

I hope that the scientists are able to find out what has caused these deaths in the past 5 years, and more importantly can solve the cause....... look forward to reading more as the studies are done.......

Online Species Guide

2010-02-20T08:33:00.000+13:00

WDCS has come out with a new on line cetacean species guide, the guide is run in line with the status on the IUCN Red List of Endangered and Threatened species, as well as some population estimates from the IWC.

Information provided also includes basic physiological aspects, diet and threats for the 85 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Check it out, it is very well done............

What have we been up to?

2010-01-26T12:10:00.001+13:00

We have been a little quiet on this blog, but there has been lots going on. I have just received more Fluke id's photos from the 2009 season and am busy finalising the data.

We also started up a social networking site for cetacean fans, you can check this out at http://cetacean.ning.com. This site is designed as a sharing portal for whale watchers, photographers, researchers and anyone with a passion for cetacean species. So please come on over and join the site.

I have also started a database to track strandings of cetacean species around the world, if anyone has any information that they would like to share please send me an email.

The Humpback whales are still down in the Antarctic at the moment gorging themselves on the krill, soon they will be back on their way to Vava'u, fat and heavy and the females that are pregnant will soon be sharing with us their new calves.

We have lots more new features coming for this year and I will be updating about these in the next few months.

Summer Time again

2009-12-16T09:16:00.003+13:00

Its summer time in the South Pacific, but that does not mean its all fun times. The Humpback Whales are now on their way down to the Antarctic for feeding, as are also the whaling ships.

Sea Shepherd is as usual making its way down there in their own ways to prevent the Japanese to stop whaling, but in a recent news report the Australian PM Kevin Rudd has re-issued his campaign speech to put increased pressure on the Japanese whaling industry.

Japan is not the only country that hunts whales, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands also have annual whale hunting seasons. In the Faroe Islands, Pilot whales are slaughtered annually, though recent studies show that the meat contains such high contaminant levels that it should not be eaten.

Other countries are also involved in subsistence whale hunting including America, Australia and other nations.

Many species are being hunted, it is not just whales. Some shark species are becoming increasingly threatened through shark finning and long lining, Krill is being harvested to make fish food and vitamins, and tuna species are not getting any help as fishing catch quotas are not being reduced.

Whale Entanglements

2009-12-05T07:24:00.002+13:00

During the recent whale watching conference in Vava'u, we had a talk from Mike Morrissey who works for the Department of Conservation in NZ. His main job is the disentanglement of whales. In NZ crab pots and lines get Humpback Whales caught in them when they cross the shallower shores in Kaikoura.

To disentangle a whale is very difficult, the process can take many hours and should not be done by people who have not been trained. The whales that are entangled are extremely stressed out and can cause harm to anyone who is trying to disentangle them as well as further stressing the whale out.

Over in Hawaii, a juvenile Humpback Whale is trailing over 400ft of line, one rescue attempt was not successful as the weather and seas were strong. Another attempt will be made and we can only hope it will be successful.

Here in Vava'u, we are lucky not to have the crab pots and other lines that whales are exposed to, however as they migrate through the ocean from the feeding to the breeding grounds they are able to pick up discarded nets, long lines, crab pots and much more. As a whale swims with this attached to it, the lines become more deeply imbedded in their blubber, causing lice and infections to the skin.

Whales are also getting caught up in nets in Australia, which are put near swimming areas. Luckily the 6 whales caught this year were all released.

If you see a whale that is entangled, contact your local Fisheries or Environment and let them know what you saw, where you saw it.

Still lots of Cetacean species to photograph

2009-12-01T13:25:00.004+13:00

Though the Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae have returned south to the feeding grounds of the Antarctic, we still have many species of Cetaceans that inhabit these waters.

Below are some pictures of Spinner Dolphins, Stenella longirostris. These playful small dolphin inhabit coastal tropical waters, feeding on small schools of fish. Seeing any dolphin or whale species in the wild is always a great experience.

Last week, members of Tongan Government, operators, Department of Conservation from NZ, SPREP and others met up here in Vava'u, to discuss the industry. The meeting was a great success, with new proposals and research being looked at to further the whale watching industry. The meeting was opened by HRH Princess Pilolevu Tuita and chaired by the Governor of Vava'u Lord Luani, as well as the NZ High Commission.

CMS Update 2009

2009-10-25T09:23:00.003+13:00

The CMS (Convention of Migratory Species) has released their 2009 updated paper on the health and populations of Marine Mammals in the Pacific. The 78 page paper delves into the effects of climate change, fishing techniques and by catch, increasing tourism demands and much more.

The Pacific Cetaceans MOU has their own website which gives information on meetings and implementations.

Most Pacific countries have signed their declaration to the CMS proposal, however Tonga has still held back, even though funds for the application have been offered to be paid by a private entity. Hopefully this will again be tabled at our November whale workshop.

End of 2009

2009-10-24T08:45:00.004+13:00

The Humpback Whale season for 2009 for us has officially ended, although there are still a few whales around, we turn ourselves back to scuba diving.

This has been a very good whale year, 30 recorded calves were born, lots of heat runs and couples were witnessed, and a lot of data collected.

In November we have a large whale workshop happening, where we will be looking at entanglement as well as conservation, regulations and enforcement issues.

There is still a lot of information that was collected to sort through, and we also have some exciting exploratory trips planned, which we will report on as we go.

As the whales make their way back down to the Antarctic they still face the threat of being hunted, please help in any way you can to stop this from happening......

Some of my greatest moments from 2009

2009-10-18T11:56:00.003+13:00

Three males chase after a female in heat, they were all around the boat. A total of 9 males were involved in the rowdy group, which we saw over 2 days.
Watching a whale breach is fascinating and jaw dropping, this whale breached over 20 times close to the boat as he courted with a female.
Mother and calf resting on the bottom, watching the behaviours and intimacy between them.
The same mother as in the previous picture brought her calf up to see us.

Come on the boys........

2009-09-19T12:13:00.003+13:00

Yesterday, our guests witnessed one of the most spectacular of behaviours of the South Pacific Humpback Whale.

The bubbles of a challenging male before he surfaces.

We came across three males and a female who had begun a loose rowdy or competition group. Before long they were joined by another 8 males and the action really began to heat up. Rowdy groups occur with females that are in season, the males will challenge each other to become the most dominant and therefore the successor.

The surfacing blow.

The action yesterday was off the scale with the whales using the boats to confuse other males on their plan of attack, breaches and lots of chasing, tubercules began to get bloody towards the end, and it looked like the fight was going to continue for some time.

Three whales chasing

Fluke Id's

2009-08-27T12:34:00.006+13:00

We have reached a happy 18 Fluke Id's for the year 2009. Taking a fluke ID is not just a glimpse of the tail, but has to be a clear and focused shot. The fluke needs to be out of the water for proper identification which limits the number of photos that can be accepted.

Many thanks to Pam and Wayne Osborn for collecting id's during their trip. If anyone else would like to contribute please send photos to karen@divevavau.com. For up to date photos you can also look at our flickr group.

Please include the date the photo was taken and any behaviours that were observed.

The catalogue will be available in pdf format at the end of the year.

Breach of a day

2009-08-24T16:04:00.002+13:00

Sunday was an amazing day out on the ocean, we did not swim with the whales as the surface activity was just too amazing. We picked up on 2 heat runs/rowdy groups. The surface breach displays and charging were superb.

Here is just a couple of quick glimpses

Happy Days

2009-08-21T14:32:00.003+13:00

Here is a clip shot by one of our guests Mike Mclaughlin, amazing behaviours from a female Humpback Whale.

How to photograph Humpback Whales

2009-08-18T16:53:00.001+13:00

Here is my article that was just posted on the Dive Photo Guide website.

Pseudorca

2009-08-14T08:03:00.003+13:00

During the winter months whilst the Humpback Whales are here for mating and calving, we are often visited by other species of cetacean.

One of our personal favourites in the Pseudorca crassidens. This cetacean belongs to its own genre, and its common name is the False Killer Whale, after its behaviour of attacking other cetaceans.

These smaller sleek toothed whale, create havoc when they are in the area, the Humpbacks are wary of them and seem to just travel. Physical characteristics are different to the commonly identified Pilot Whale (Globichephala sp.), Pseudorca have a less bulbous head, the dorsal fin is located further down its back.

Behaviour is very specific, as a species they will challenge the boats making fast cutting moves, and will also strongly echo locate to check you out.

Surface Activity

2009-08-13T10:28:00.005+13:00

Humpback Whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, are a fascinating baleen whale, there activities on the surface never cease to amaze me. Currently we are seeing the start of competition or rowdy groups starting up.

These groups will contain a female in season who generally leads the pack, followed by some heated males who are fighting for the right to mate. These groups can fizzle out after a few hours or keep going all day, once the dominant male has been chosen, the female and male will swim off together but at no time is there a certainty of mating. There is always more hungry males around who will happily come in and start the competition again.

The females will twist and tantalize themselves around, displaying their bellies and genital areas to the males.

The tubercules on the rostrum of the males will often become bloodied and raw as they scrape and bang each other on the surface and underwater to become the lead male.

The most amazing day

2009-08-05T09:51:00.004+13:00

The first of August proved to be an amazing day, the weather was calm, the sky was sunny.

We started the day off with a group of single whales, that were not really doing much but were great fun to follow for a while.

At around lunch time we came across a familiar dorsal fin, this female was last known here with a calf three years ago and it was very good to see her return with another new calf. Her name is "White side", we slid into the water and spent some amazing encounters with her. The calf was very relaxed, coming up to the surface every few minutes to breathe. At this age the calves surface between 1 and 3 minutes, the mother was resting below with dive times of 15 minutes.

Everyone on the boat had an amazing time, and here are a few pictures from the day.

Breach

2009-07-30T09:18:00.008+13:00

It always amazes me to watch cetaceans breach, the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), is very well known for its activity.

Sunday was a great day, the weather was amazing, calm seas and blue skies. Early on our trip, we came across a mother, calf and escort. The calf started breaching and for the next hour continued to do so. The mother seemed relatively calm, however the escort would not let us approach, even when the calf stopped breaching, the escort would come between them and push them away. So we left them alone after a stunning surface display.

The calf, would breach but as displayed in this photo below, it would often have its mouth open. We have not seen this done on breaching before, but it was very interesting to see.

As we left the area, Paul spotted a large blow in the distance and our hopes were raised for one of my favourite behaviours, the singing. As crew, we love putting people in the water with singers, and do so at every opportune moment. Not only can you see them from the surface, but the feeling you get from the sound, is unbelievable. Sadly, the sea conditions were too rough to get a recording, however I did capture some on my video camera which will be posted later.

Fluke id of singer.

Dive Vava'u: Krill Harvesting in Antarctic threatens many species

2009-07-30T08:44:00.000+13:00

Dive Vava'u: Krill Harvesting in Antarctic threatens many species

Updates for July

2009-07-22T17:50:00.001+13:00

The season is really starting to heat up, the adult males have begun their amazing singing, 2 mother and calf pairs have been seen, and the rowdy or challenge groups are heating up.

We have been backwards and forwards between whales and diving in the last week, however as from tomorrow we will be out on the whale grounds daily, taking people for some amazing experiences.

We will also be continuing with our data collection of fluke id's, song recordings and population recordings.

The weather last week picked up quite a bit, which though did not stop us from an amazing encounter with a mum, calf and escort. As well as an unusual sighting of 2 whales laying almost on top of each other while they took a rest.

Surface activity has been wild with the males and females vying for each others attention.... more to come from Vava'u, as the days go by.....

Our first Encounters for 2009

2009-07-13T09:40:00.004+13:00

The Humpback whales have begun to steadily arrive in the waters of Vava'u, we ran our first trips of the season last week, and had our first swims.

Most of the whales so far have been juveniles and sub-adults, soon we shall be seeing more adults and mother and calves come through. Breaching, tail slapping and general playing around has been the feel for most of our trips.

The weather has been good, winds have been between 12-15 knots and seas have been generally calm.

Here are a few pics from some of our first days..........

Whale song from 2008.

2009-06-20T11:05:00.009+13:00

This was recorded last year on our vessel DevOcean, the single males are the only ones that sing, though the females can vocalize.

The singing could be heard through the hull of the boat, and was one of the clearest recordings achieved last season.

It was thought until recently that Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae were the only species that formed vocal sounds into a pattern or song. Recently through work in the Arctic areas, it has been discovered that the Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus also creates a "song".

First sighting of Humpback Whale for 2009

2009-06-20T10:41:00.001+13:00

The first official sighting occurred yesterday lunchtime in the old harbour, though rumours have been rife for a week or so, photos and proof have been recorded.

The lone Humpback Whale entered the old harbour channel, coming with 100 metres of the shore to the amazement of builders and the school children. For some it was the first time they had seen a whale.

More to come as our waters in Vava'u fill with whales and carry their song for miles around...