Marine Mammal Rescue and Research http://www.orrca.org.au Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:27:20 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.orrca.org.au/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.orrca.org.au Marine Mammal Rescue and Research http://www.orrca.org.au/marine-mammal-rescue-workshop/workshop-enrollment-2.html How you can participate in ORRCA rescue workshops. Rescue Workshop Marine Mammal Rescue Workshops - Marine Mammal Rescue Workshop Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:30:48 +0100 http://www.orrca.org.au/marine-mammal-rescue-workshop/workshop-options-2.html Options on completing the ORRCA rescue workshops. Marine Mammal Rescue Workshops - Marine Mammal Rescue Workshop Mon, 30 Oct 2006 03:30:00 +0100 http://www.orrca.org.au/recent-marine-mammal-sightings-2008/recent-marine-mammal-sightings-2.html Here are some of ORRCA's latest sightings of whales, dolphins, seals and dugongs. Please report all sightings to our 24 hour hotline (02)94153333 and let us know what you have seen today! Sightings - Recent Marine Mammal Sightings 2008 Tue, 20 May 2008 10:10:45 +0100 http://www.orrca.org.au/whale-census-day/2007-whale-census-day.html 2007 Whale Census Last year’s Whale Census Day was another great success for ORRCA, despite some less than desirable conditions in some locations. The first whales were sighted from Barrenjoey at 7.05am and then the hotline went into “meltdown”. A total of 453 whale sightings were recorded for the day. Most of these were humpback whales; however, 3 southern right whales and 1 fin whale were recorded. Several pods of dolphins were also recorded on the day at various locations. The crew in Augusta WA recorded the most sightings with a total of 150. The total sightings for the locations are as follows: Brooms Head 0 Boambee 33 Dunbogan 46 Port Stephens 10 Strezlecki (Newcastle) 10 Norah Head 20 Crackneck (Bateau Bay) 9 Copacabana 16 Bouddi NP (Killcare) 4 Barrenjoey 13 Newport 14 Mona Vale 0 North Head 4 Bondi 7 Tamarama 2 Cape Solander 25 Port Kembla 56 Jervis Bay 26 Augusta WA 150 TOTAL 453 Many thanks to all those who spent their day looking for and counting whales. Thankfully last year there were no reports of whale harassment. A special thankyou to Bunny Horne who was the hotline operator for the day, and to Wendy McFarlane who co-ordinated the event. This year’s Annual Whale Census Day will be on Sunday 29th June 2008. Registrations are now being taken by email at orrca@orrca.org.au or on the Hotline (02) 9415 3333. Sightings - Whale Census Day Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:21:06 +0100 http://www.orrca.org.au/info-sheets/humpback-whale.html Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Humpback whales were nearly hunted to extinction. The last whaling station in NSW, at Byron Bay, closed in 1962 because so few whales could be found. Humpback whales are now protected throughout Australia and in NSW are listed as a vulnerable species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. What do humpback whales look like? The humpback whale is one of the most easily recognisable of the large whales. Often the first sign of its presence is its 'blow', a cloud of vapour that it shoots into the air when it breaks the surface to breathe. Humpbacks get their name from the humped area of blubber anterior to their dorsal fin that is accentuated by the arching of their backs when diving. They will often roll forward to dive until only the tail sticks out of the water. This is called a fluke-up dive. Other common actions include: waving their extraordinarily long pectoral fins a leisurely body roll which ends with a splash as their pectoral fin smacks the surface of the water. Humpback whales can launch themselves out of the water in a spectacular motion called breaching. There are theories as to why whales breach. They may be communicating to other whales across vast distances, trying to attract other whales (including a mate), to warn off vessels or other males, or perhaps to cool off, remove parasites such as barnacles, or just for fun! Seen from any distance, this action is one of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring in the animal kingdom. The features of a humpback whale are: A dark grey or black body, with white patches on its belly, pectoral fins and underside of the tail flukes. These unique black and white markings are like fingerprints, no two are the same. This fingerprint, or fluke identification (ID) aids researchers in identifying individuals as they migrate along the coast. Long pectoral fins which are almost all white underneath, with bumps on the leading edges. Unlike any other whale, the humpback's flukes and pectoral fins are scalloped or serrated on the trailing edge. A slim head, or rostrum, covered with knobs with a distinctive rounded protuberance near the tip of the lower jaw. Large numbers of barnacles often covering both the rostrum and pectoral fins. A small dorsal fin located nearly two-thirds of the way down their back. Humpbacks are baleen whales. They don't have any teeth, and feed by filtering shrimp-like krill between 270-400 baleen plates which hang from the top jaw. Humpbacks are also rorquals, whales which have distinctive throat grooves. They have up to 35 broad ventral throat grooves, extending at least to their navels. Their bodies are more rotund than those of other rorquals. Female humpback whales can be up to 16 m long. As with all baleen whales, the male is slightly smaller. What do they sound like? Humpback whales are one of the most exuberant of all whale species, and are celebrated for their energetic antics and haunting 'songs'. During migration, male humpback whales often 'sing' complex, lengthy and distinctive songs to communicate their presence to females to entice them to mate. They use syllables and rhyming phrases with a complex sequence of clicks, moans and eerie high-pitched wails that can last for a few moments or an hour. The sounds range from canary-like chirps to deep rumbling sounds that carry for hundreds of kilometres. The 'songs' change subtly each year and different humpback populations have different songs. Quick facts - Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Length: Adults: 14m to 18m; Calves: 4m to 5m at birth Weight: Adults: up to 50 tonnes; Calves: 2 tonnes at birth Gestation: 11 to 11.5 months Weaning age: up to 11 months Calving interval: 2 to 3 years Physical maturity: Age: 12 to 15 years; Length: 13 to 14m Sexual maturity: Age: 4 to 10 years Length: 11.6m Males/12.1m Females Mating season: June to October Calving season: June to October Cruising speed: 7km/hr Blow pattern: Small and bushy, up to 4m Protected: Since 1965 When can you see them? During the hotter months of the year, from November to May, humpback whales feed in the waters of the Antarctic. They then migrate north to their subtropical breeding grounds off the Queensland coast and the Coral Sea. You can see them off the NSW coast: between May and July, heading north from September to November, on their way back to the Antarctic. If you see a whale, dolphin or seal please call the ORRCA Hotline on (02) 9415 3333 and let us know. If you see a marine mammal in distress or being harassed call ORRCA immediately! ORRCA 24 hour Hotline – (02) 9415 3333 Copyright ORRCA 2007 Approaching whales and dolphins in NSW How close can vessels and aircraft get to whales and dolphins? For a vessel, the approach distance is 100 m from a whale or 50 m from a dolphin. When calves are in the pod, the approach distance for a vessel is 300 m from a whale or 150 m from a dolphin. For a prohibited vessel, the approach distance is always 300 m from a whale or dolphin. Helicopters or gyrocopters must not get closer (in height or distance) than 500 m to a whale or dolphin. Other planes must not get closer (in height or distance) than 300 m to a whale or dolphin. Figure 1: Approach distances for whales Figure 2: Approach distances for dolphins Figure 3: Height restrictions for whales and dolphins Research Info - Info Sheets Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:35:35 +0100