Alaska Whale Foundation's Hobart Bay Project

Project Title: Southern Stephens Passage and Eastern Frederick Sound Marine Mammal Baseline Study
Primary Investigator: Andy Szabo

This project is designed to contribute to an evaluation of the impact of human activity and environmental perturbations on wildlife in the Frederick Sound. It is being conducted by Andy Szabo through the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute and is supported by Alaska Whale Foundation and the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center. You can help make this project possible through an in-kind and/or monetary donation. For more information, please see our donation pages.

The Concern:

The 2005 marine mammal Stock Assessment Reports (SAR) issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) consider human-induced mortality to be a significant threat to endangered humpback whales in both the Atlantic and Pacific. The Central North Pacific SAR reported no fewer than 20 incidents involving ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear between 1998 and 2001 in Southeast Alaska alone.

In Frederick Sound, an area within Southeast Alaska characterized by high seasonal whale abundance, the development of a deepwater cruise-ship destination is currently being proposed for Hobart Bay. This development raises concerns that detrimental human-marine mammal interactions will increase as these animals are a target feature of the proposed business plan. At present, the area attracts relatively few small adventure tour programs, ranging from six to seventy passenger vessels, in addition to local commercial and sport fishers from Petersburg, Kake, Pybus Bay and Juneau. When we are working in the area, it is not uncommon for days to pass where only the occasional vessel is seen transiting the area off in the distance. In contrast, the proposed development has the capacity to bring with it several large ‘panamax’ style cruise ships (2,000+ passengers) several times a week, which will in turn be served by a fleet of wildlife viewing, sightseeing and sport-fishing vessels.
Unfortunately, our ability to minimize the frequency of detrimental human-whale interactions is compromised by a general lack of knowledge concerning both the ecology of the animals, and more specifically, their patterns of habitat use in the area. In addition, because of this paucity of information, we are unprepared to comment on the potential impacts that both the proposed and future anthropogenic activities will have on the animals. We are similarly unable to assess the impacts of perturbations from climate change in the region. However, the regime shift underway in the Bering Sea, as well as extensive glacial melting and yellow-cedar decline in Southeast Alaska, strongly suggest that climate change is occurring in the region, and underscores the value of this information. AWF is committed to supporting research that will provide baseline data necessary to assess these impacts and reduce the occurrence of harmful human-marine mammal interactions.

The Research:

Our research director, Andy Szabo, is currently conducting just such a study at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. Andy has outlined two primary objectives with his research. The first is to characterize humpback whale habitat use in the region. This will allow us to identify possible areas of concern in advance of development and provide information that will aid managers in developing recommendations for commercial and private vessels regarding how potentially harmful human-whale interactions can be avoided. For example, if areas are identified where whales congregate, guidelines could be established for vessels transiting or working in those areas similar to the ones in place for other sensitive areas such as Glacier Bay, Alaska. Andy’s second objective is to develop baseline data across a range of spatial and temporal scales and across trophic levels in the region. High-resolution baseline data that address both the predators, such as the whales, porpoises and other marine mammals in the area, and the underlying prey community are necessary to assess the impacts that natural and anthropogenic perturbations have on the ecosystem.
Andy’s field work for this research began in May 2006. With the assistance of Dana Lundstedt, he conducted a series of whale and prey surveys using inflatable vessels, a sonar, plankton nets, and a number of other data-collecting gear. That year, he and Dana established a series of base-camps from which they worked each day. Unfortunately for them, 2006 was among the coldest and wettest Alaskan summers in recent history. Still a little chilled and somewhat defeated, Andy has happily agreed to join the crew on Evolution this coming summer to continue his work. He hopes to continue this research for at least the next two seasons. For more information on the field work itself, see Andy’s research page.

Outreach and the Dissemination of Findings:

At AWF, we feel it is critical that research findings are disseminated in a manner that reaches those individuals that will benefit from it most. For example, we recognize that concern exists among the Southeast Alaska commercial fishing community regarding both whale entanglements and the role that future conservation efforts may have on their livelihood. Given the sensitive nature of these topics, we are collaborating with individuals familiar with both sides of the issues in Petersburg, Alaska, home to the regions commercial fishing fleet, to disseminate the findings from this research. Specifically, as the data become available we will work with and advise an established working group on humpback whales lead by Sunny Rice, the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory agent in Petersburg, and the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center (PMMC), a non-profit organization dedicated to education and dissemination of research findings. It is the aim of this group to interact with the fishing community and provide a forum to discuss ways in which they can safely work alongside marine mammals. We will assist in these efforts by providing information obtained from this study directly to the group to be used in their forum. In addition, we will produce brochures to be handed out to fishermen and others that offer both general and regional specific information on the animals and suggestions as to how detrimental interactions can be avoided.
In addition, AWF is assisting in reaching the region’s tourism industry. A range of tour vessels operate in Frederick Sound, from single-day sightseeing boats to multi-day charter vessels and cruise ships. These vessels often seek out and operate in close proximity to marine mammals; therefore, it is important that operators are educated on the general biology of these animals and issues regarding their safe viewing. To assist in this, we will distribute the brochures outlined above to these operators. Because of our lengthy field presence and regular interactions with many of the charter vessels and cruise-ships that operate in Frederick Sound, AWF is ideally suited to assist in this endeavor.
AWF typically conducts general ecology presentations to well over a thousand guests aboard various vessels each season. Together, we are developing a comprehensive presentation to be given in these venues that details the findings from Andy’s study in a manner that underscores the importance of the region’s ecology and marine conservation in general. We are also developing opportunities to present similar information in local Alaska classrooms. For example, Andy has been invited to participate in Sitka WhaleFest’s “Scientist in the Schools” program. This program serves to bring researchers into local classrooms to present scientific issues relevant to the region in an engaging and interactive manner. In addition, we will contribute to WhaleFest’s ‘traveling trunk’, an education package intended for use in regional schools that may otherwise have limited access to outside speakers. We will also work with PMMC in this endeavor. With several active and retired educators on their board of directors, they have offered assistance both by providing us with access to their classrooms and by incorporating our findings into their own curriculum. Ultimately, our aim is to assist raise the level of knowledge of locals and industry about the ecology of the region.

Remember, you can support this conservation/education effort by donating directly to this project. There is more information on how to do this on our donation pages. For more information on this project, contact AWF board member, Andy Szabo.