On this page, we will post interesting news items on marine sciences and conservation. Check back often for new posts.
Aug 5, 2022
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announced that its HOV (Human-Occupied Vehicle) Alvin, achieved a new milestone on July 21, 2022.
This dive was part of a certification process that will enable Alvin to increase its maximum operating depth to 6,500 m (21,325 ft or 4 miles!). This means that Alvin can reach 99% of the seafloor. Not bad for 58-year-old machine.
During its long, productive career, Alvin has been instrumental in many scientific discoveries, including confirming the existence of tectonic plates (which had previously been hypothesized) and to the discoveries of hydrothermal vent communities and black smokers. Alvin was also part of the expedition that located the wreck of the HMS Titanic. In 1968, while preparing for a dive in the submarine canyons southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a steel cable supporting Alvin broke, plunging the submersible into the water with its watertight hatches open and its crew inside. The crew scrambled out as it started sinking 1,500 m (4,900 ft) to the seabed. The U.S. Navy, which was a major supporter of Alvin's operations at that time, gave WHOI a choice: it would either give WHOI a new submersible to replace Alvin or it could help WHOI retrieve Alvin from the bottom of the ocean. WHOI's scientists and engineers were so confident in Alvin's capabilities that they chose to get it back rather than get a new vehicle. It took 10 months but they did get it back. Even that rescue mission produced valuable research. Before the accident, the crew was preparing for a dive that would last many hours, so they had stowed sandwiches aboard. Those sandwiches sank to the bottom with Alvin (becoming the first true submarine sandwiches...but that's another story). After nearly a year, the sandwiches were still edible. The extremely cold waters of the deep sea support few bacteria. This realization led to the first attempts to culture deep sea microbes and to a better understanding of microbial ecology of the deep ocean.
Follow this link to read more about the history of Alvin.
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July 28, 2022
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July 24, 2022
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| Humpback whale feeding on Stellwagen Bank (photo credit: Dr. Elliott Hazen). |
"Whale breaches, strikes fishing boat in waters off Plymouth, Massachusetts."
Here is a teachable moment, ripped from the headlines. And it comes from a place that is dear to our hearts. We spent some time in our youth working on the whale watching boats from Plymouth and Damon also worked on a research vessel that was based in Plymouth. So we know that area pretty well and we know how common whales are there. The whales are usually a bit further offshore, concentrated on Stellwagen Bank. However, over the past couple of weeks, there have been large schools of forage fish (probably Atlantic menhaden) close to the shores of Plymouth, and some humpback whales have followed the fish right up to the beach. It is so cool when you can watch whales from the shore. When the whales are that close in, especially during a weekend, there will be a lot of people trying to get a close-up look from their small boats. There is nothing quite like seeing a whale from your own boat. But earlier today, a lunge-feeding humpback whale landed on the bow of a small boat, practically sinking the boat. The headline says the whale was breaching but we know it was actually feeding because its ventral pleats are distended in the photo, indicating that it had just gulped in several hundred gallons of water (and hopefully some fish, too). Nobody aboard the boat was hurt and the boat was not seriously damaged, but it could easily have been much worse for both the boat and the whale. Although humpback whales are big and strong, their bones are weaker than those of land mammals, so something like this could cause a serious injury that affects the whale's ability to feed. Luckily, for the boat and the people aboard it, this was a juvenile humpback, which was about half the size of a mature whale.
What lessons should we learn from this incident? First, know that all marine mammals are protected by federal law. Physically harming or harassing them is against the law, and is punishable by a hefty fine. Second, know that when whales are actively feeding, they move quickly and erratically as they lunge after their prey. Third, boats should stay 100 yards away from whales (500 yards from right whales, which are critically endangered).
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| Guidelines promoted by NOAA for safely watching whales (except right whales) in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States (North Carolina to Maine). For right whales, there is an actual law prohibiting vessels from approaching any closer than 500 yards. |
Go to these sites for more information on watching marine wildlife:
NOAA Fisheries New England & Mid-Atlantic Marine Wildlife Viewing Guidelines
NOAA Fisheries National Guidelines for Viewing Marine Wildlife
Also, see the articles that Janet published in Cruising World on how to safely watch whales and dolphins.
- "Whale Etiquette," Cruising World, January 2014
- "Dolphin Do's and Don'ts," Cruising World, September 2014
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